Greek Gods and Fairies
by Holly Marie Fowl
Summary: Opal Koboi and Kronos start working together, forming a deadly combination. Percy, Annabeth, Holly, and Artemis must band together to save the world. Again. But, with their combined luck and hormones, complications ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Salvete. **Once again, this chapter has been revised. I hope you like it. : )

**Disclaimer: **Gah. How many times must I say that I don't own Artemis Fowl?

**Chapter 1**

**Fowl Manor**

Artemis Fowl II never liked children. It was the honest-to-god truth. So, when he got back from three years in Limbo, he wasn't happy at the idea of having little brothers. It took quite some time to get used to their eratic behavior. Who knew little kids had so much energy?

When his parents requested that he watch his siblings for a half-an-hour, he wasn't particularly thrilled about the idea. He loved his brothers, but he never was sure how to keep them entertained. He'd learned not to try teaching them lessons after his last run-in. Artemis spent the first half hour in the garden trying to catch the hyperactive two-year olds and get them inside. He knew that Opal Koboi's past self had been set loose upon the unsuspecting world, and quite frankly, he didn't trust his brothers around Angeline's prized flowers.

Finally, he realized that he couldn't force them inside. He stopped and shouted, "You both realize that Mom made cookies, right?" This was true, but they weren't supposed to know about the cookies.

Myles and Beckett stopped in their tracks, almost colliding with each other. They exchanged glances, eyes wide.

_Oh gods_, Artemis thought. _This can't be good._

He was right. The twins took off running toward the kitchen, yelling, "Cookies!!!" all along the way.

Artemis groaned: more running. He tried running after the twins, but they still got to the kitchen before hime.

"Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!" Beckett was chanting. Myles was trying to get him to shut up.

Artemis groaned and went to the top cabinet—using a chair, I might add. He grabbed the box of cookies.

"Now, you can't eat too much—" It was the equivilant of telling a teenager not to text. The twins were eating those chocolate-chip cookies faster than a centaur eating a carrot.

_What now???_ Artemis thought.

* * *

**Police Plaza**

Thunking filled Captain Holly Short's cubicle. The sound was caused by her head colliding with the desk. The paperwork crystals stacked on its surface vibrated with each collision, coming closer to falling over.

It wasn't advisable to bang your head against your desk in such fashion, obviously. So, why was our heroine doing this? A simple answer: Internal Affairs. They'd been heavily on her case since her time jaunt with a certain human. Here she was now, with mountains of paperwork and one day to do it.

Holly's head hit the desk at the same time a loud crack sounded. Holly paused. Surely, her head had not hit the desk that hard. Then the sound came again. Of course, someone was at the door. Not that it was an actual door. It was more of just an opening in the plastic cubicle. Foaly stood at the space, hand prepared to knock again. His eyebrows were raised.

Holly saw the glance and shrugged.

"Ignoring the fact that you were just losing much-needed brain cells, you're needed in Commander Kelp's office," Foaly said.

Holly jumped up, glad to have something to do, even if it involved being yelled at. "I'll pay you back for that comment later," she said, walking out the door. Foaly followed close on her tail.

They arrived at Kelp's office to find him leaning against the door frame. He looked extremely annoyed and his facial color was beginning to match that of the late Julius Root's.

"Finally," he commented, as Holly and Foaly filed in. Trouble shut the door and sat down at his desk.

"Sorry sir," Holly replied.

Commander Kelp waved away her apology and moved on. "Foaly, if you please."

Foaly stood up and began giving his brief. "As you both know, Opal Koboi's past self is somewhere in the world, very likely planning on causing havoc." Holly grimaced. It had been partially her fault that they had this problem. "And, we need to catch her before the whole timestream comes undone. We just received word that Koboi, the one of the present, has escaped."

"Escaped?! How?" Holly exclaimed. Atlantis's jail was maximum security. There wasn't a possibility of escape. It was impossible.

"You know the war has traveled to Atlantis. Poseidon is fighting Oceanus. We've dispatched officers to help in the fight, but I'm afraid they're not doing much good. Unfortunately, Atlantis's prison was destroyed on one half because of the fighting. Guess who used the distraction to get away?"

Holly groaned. This was bad, bad news.

"Anyway, we've tracked her to Camp Half-Blood," he said.

Holly glanced up sharply. "Camp Half-Blood? What is she doing there?"  
Foaly and Trouble glanced at each other.

"We don't know," Trouble answered.

"Anyway, there are two things we need to do. The first, is to send people to Camp Half-Blood. We suspect that she may be working with Kronos. The second is to protect Artemis," Foaly continued.

Holly nodded. "So you want me to get Artemis and take him with me to Camp Half-Blood, so we can figure out what she's up to, right?"

"Actually, that's a good idea," Foally muttered. Commander Kelp glared at him. Foaly continued. "I do know the activities director of Camp Half-Blood."

"No, no, no. We're not trying to get them killed here! Koboi would likely shoot them on the spot!" Commander Kelp exclaimed.

"Not if she's trying to keep her cover. So long as they don't let her get them alone, they should be fine," Foally replied.

Holly looked between them both. "How about we let Artemis decide?"

They both froze and looked at Holly. Then they looked back at each other.

"We-ell. . .I suppose we could do that," Commander Kelp said hesitantly.

"It's settled then," Holly replied. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go check to be sure that Mud Boy is alright."

That being said, Holly Short walked out of the room.

* * *

Artemis was pouring water for Myles and Beckett when his phone vibrated. He jumped, and water sloshed over the counter.

After grabbing a towel, he twisted the ring and held it to his ear.

"Holly?"  
"No. This is Foaly," came the sarcastically cheerful response.

"Haha," Artemis commented drily.

"I try."

"So have you found her?"

"No. I'm just calling to say hello," she said, not being able to resist.

"Holly."

"Alright. We didn't find her. That's not why I'm calling."

"Oh, gods. She didn't—" Artemis let that trail off.

"She did," Holly replied.

Artemis groaned. "Okay. See you."

"Yeah."

She cut the connection. Artemis snapped the phone shut.

"So, who is Holly?" Myles asked. Artemis had forgotten that the twins were in the room. "And who did you guys find?"

"Holly is my best friend. She lost her. . .dog. And she promised to call me when they found it. They know where it is, but they now have to go retrieve it. A family a few miles away found it, so we have to go get it," Artemis lied through his teeth.

"Why do _you_ have to go?" For a 2 year old, Myles was smart. He could figure out simple things.

"Because she's my best friend and I'm giving her a ride."

"Oh," Myles said.

Then Beckett—tired of being left out of the conversation—interrupted. "Artemis, can we finger paint again?"

Artemis faked a smile. "Of course."

**End Notes:** Okay, that is the first chapter. I hope you like it. : ) As always, please review.

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	2. Chapter 2

**Salvete. **Here is the. . .second chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson.

**Chapter 2**

A man sat on a makeshift throne. Two pixies kneeled in front of him. They looked like twins, but it was more complicated than that. They were exactly the same person.

"Rise." They did so. Neither of them were humble, and every fiber of their being protested orders. Then again, they had seen the punishments he gave out. There were worse things than death or jail.

He addressed the one on the left. "You are to leave. You do not belong in this time."

"What? NO!" Her screams of protest disappeared as a vortex opened and swallowed her whole. The pixie standing behind her gasped. It was only to be expected the the man standing in front of her could make time tunnels. His very name meant time, and though he was taking refuge in a teenager's body, he wasn't actually a mere mortal. He turned to address her.

"I have your next assignment."

"Yes, master." It was better to be humble than be shred into a million pieces.

He spoke.

***

During the summer at Camp Half-Blood, the strawberries send off a delicious aroma. The grass is green, the birds chirped, and nymphs played and teased satyrs. The magic of the Fleece spread throughout the valley making the flowers smell better and nature more alive. The place was the very essence of peace. If you looked deeper, however, you would find it in turmoil. This was to be expected with an upcoming war. At the present time, a new member was being introduced to the camp. Belinda already knew who her mother was: Athena, the great goddess of wisdom.

"How could you possibly know who your mother is? You just got here!" Dionysus snapped. He was in a very bad mood. Hey, in his defense, you try being the god of wine and have to run a summer camp without alcohol for a few centuries. It was a very depressing, annoying job for somebody who hated children.

"Athena came to me and helped me out," the girl snapped back. She wasn't in the best mood, though she was disguising it well. The reason that Dionysus was questioning her story was that her hair jet black instead of blond. Chiron had dismissed it as dyed hair. She did have stormy gray eyes, though. Right now, they were storm clouds.

"Oh that explains it! Like I haven't heard that one before!" In truth, Mr. D. hadn't. He was just trying to make the girl miserable, one of his best talents.

"Mr. D, with all due respect, you haven't. Stop harrassing the girl, and let Annabeth take her on a tour of the camp. Speaking of Annabeth, where is that girl? She should be back by now." Chiron butted in, itching to get out of his wheelchair.

"Who cares? Get someone else to show her around. Now, I have to go." Having said that, Dionysus stood up and disappeared. He normally wasn't needed at camp. The only time he was pulled away from his duties was when new demigods arrived.

"I apologize. This is stressful time for all of us," Chiron said. Belinda didn't doubt it. Her master was powerful. He glanced at his watch. "It is dinner time. Come."

Chiron got out of his chair, resuming his full form. For a second, he thought he saw hatred pound through the girl's eyes and her hands clench into fists. The next moment, she was looking relaxed as she followed the centaur down to the dinner pavilion.

_Where is Annabeth?_ Chiron wondered. _Or did she just come back without my knowledge? That's probably it._

Actually, Annabeth wasn't at camp. She was battling a monster, with Percy, in New York City.

***

**Percy's POV**

What would you do when harpies attack you in a movie theater lobby? Generally, most people would proceed to run from the room. That was exactly what I proceeded _not_ to do. You see, Annabeth and I were just going to the movie when these harpies attacked us. It was not a date! She was just coming here from camp to visit me. Just because she kissed me everything gets weird. Oh, never mind. Anyway, these harpies obviously weren't the ones for camp, or we would have serious control problems.

"I blame you, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth muttered, as we stood poised for battle against the snack bar. I rolled my eyes. Of course it was my fault. It always was. This time, though, it honestly wasn't. I didn't have time to reply, because the Ugly Number 1 came at me with a razor sharp talon. It had a woman's head and a bird body. It smelled horrible and was seriously ugly. When I say ugly, I mean it in the most extreme sense of the word. It was almost worse than the sirens. On instinct, I lashed out with Riptide. It cut off it's—um, her?—talon, but Ugly Number 1 was still alive. Why hadn't she turned into golden dust?

"Percy! You have to cut of its head!" Annabeth yelled, as she fought off Ugly Number 2. I had never heard that one before. I guess I would just have to try. When Ugly Number 1 came at me again, I ducked underneath the talons so I could reposition myself behind the creature. It worked, and I successfully cut off its head. It collasped in a pile of gold dust. This was all just in time to hear Annabeth cry out in pain, and see her lying on the floor. Her knife was a few feet away on the floor. A lot of good it does there. Ugly Number 2 hovered over her, about to have a tasty meal. It lunged at her, but not before I lunged at it. My aim was true, which was a good thing since I wouldn't get another chance. The remaining gold dust showered on Annabeth, and I'm fairly certain that it went in her mouth.

"Ew," she grimaced, sitting up. I capped Riptide and took her hand to help her up.

"You're welcome," I said. She rolled her eyes and spit out gold flecks, confirming my theory that she got to taste some.

"Thank you, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. She brushed gold dust out her cut, wincing just the tiniest bit. It looked nasty. There was a lot of blood. She grabbed some napkins and pressed it over the wound. "Now, let's get going before the cops arrive."

As if on cue, police sirens sounded in the distance.

* * *

Annabeth put on her sweater—wincing as she did, I might add—a safe distance from the movie theater. I frowned. We had to get back to camp soon. Annabeth walked up to the street curb and ordered a taxi. We slid into the backseat. Annabeth gave the driver the directions where to go, then we were both silent. I could tell that she was in pain. The blood was starting to seep through the sweater. I touched her good arm. She glanced at me and smiled. Her curly blond hair looked really pretty today. Not that it didn't always. It just looked especially nice today. Normally she didn't really brush it, because of the war. But I think she brushed it today. I noted that she was still wearing those silver owl earrings that she got from her dad. I realized that I was staring at her. Also, my heart rate had skyrocketed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, stupidly. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Seaweed Brain," she so obviously lied. These days, I don't even bother protesting when she calls me Seaweed Brain. I realized that we were almost to camp. Annabeth must have realized it, too, because she told the driver to pull over. He frowned, but didn't protest when Annabeth handed him mortal cash. I helped her out of the cab, which she punched me on the arm for. She took off her sweater. The cut on her arm had swelled. It had a greenish color to it. I wondered if there might have been poison on Ugly Number 2's talons.

Together we started walking up the hill. Peleus, the golden dragon, lifted its head from it's guard post by the tree. Connor Stoll, from the Hermes cabin, greeted us. He was on guard duty.

"Hey, sure took you long enough! Got held up?" he asked, smirking. We got his meaning and blushed. "So, look, Annabeth, they've been waiting for you. This new girl, Belinda something, just arrived. Says she's an Athena kid."

Just as he finished speaking, the dinner bell rang. They saw Chiron in the distance walking down to the dinner pavilion with a really short girl.

"We're late," Annabeth commented, as we started walking down the hill. Connor and I followed. That was when Connor noticed the cut.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked. Annabeth turned around to speak. When she did, she fell. I automatically caught her.

"You okay?" I asked. It was probably the wrong thing to say. She was probably going to deny that there was anything wrong with her.

"We need to get Chiron. I think there might have been poison. . ." her voice trailed off. I looked at Connor and mouthed 'go.' He took off running. Annabeth sat down. She was really pale. Something was seriously wrong. I kneeled in front of her. Chiron had better hurry up.

End Notes: Ah, a lovely cliffe. . .

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	3. Chapter 3

**Salvete. **: ) I hope you like my storie. As always, give me your thoughts! : )

Disclaimer: Don't own either fandoms. No copyright intended.

**Chapter 3**

"No, no, Artemis. You're doing it all wrong!" Myles proclaimed, thrusting a hand into the air and splattering Artemis's green shirt with red paint in the process. The effect of this was that Artemis appeared to be wearing Christmas clothes. An annoyed look came over his face. The twins were too concerned with his artwork to notice.

"Oh, really, Myles? How should I be doing it, then?" Artemis asked with barely contained patience.

"You need to use your whole hand!" Myles lectured. Artemis rolled his eyes and looked down at his painting, which was taking the vague shape of a certain female elf.

"Who is that?" Beckett asked all of a sudden, pointing a blue coated finger above Artemis's head. The blue splattered over his shirt and hair. Obviously, this was just not the shirt's good day. Artemis turned around to see Holly, who was disguised as a human. She was wearing jeans and a bright orange shirt that said 'Camp Half-Blood.' Her ears were hidden by her hair. He quickly made a grab for the old towel in the center of the table, knocking over an opened bottle of green paint. It spilled all over the table. Artemis righted the bottle and wiped paint off of his fingers. He heard Holly's laughs getting louder as she walked over to help.

"Who'd have known? Artemis Fowl, finger painting!" Holly commented between laughs. She took a towel and started mopping up the spilt paint.

"Yeah, yeah, so hilarious," Artemis scowled, a bit annoyed. He had successfully made an idiot out of himself. Holly put down the towel and turned to face him. Her mismatched eyes had lost the spark of amusement they contained a mere second ago. She opened her mouth to ask something, but the twins interrupted.

"You're pretty," Beckett said.

"Who are you?" Myles demanded, the more curious of the two. He was not one for stating random facts.

"Are you Arty's girlfriend?" Beckett pondered. Their questions persisted in embarrassment and length until Artemis clapped his hand together.

"Both of you, please let me talk! This is my best friend. Her name is Holly. Holly, this is Myles and Beckett," he gestured to them as he spoke.

"You're pretty," Beckett repeated.

"Myles simple-toon," Myles said.

Holly smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Do you mind if I borrow your brother for a minute?"

Beckett and Myles exchanged a glance.

"Well, I guess so," Myles said, as if they were the adults. "But you two can't go out of our sight."

"Deal," Holly agreed, turning and catching Artemis's elbow, leading him away. When they were out of earshot, Artemis turned to her.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad?"

"Full scale emergency," came the sharp reply.

Artemis groaned and rolled his eyes. "Will you ever come up just to visit?"  
"Soon, I promise," she said.

"I'll hold you to that," Artemis smirked and winked. Then he noticed his mother over by the twins and paled. Holly followed his glance and muttered a Gnommish curse word under her breath. She started to walk away, but before she could, Artemis placed an arm around her shoulder. He began to lead her over to Angeline. Angeline looked up when they were a few feet away. She smiled. Finally, her son had made and brought home a friend, albeit a friend with pointed ears. What's more, this friend was female.

"Mother- _Mom._ I have someone I want you to meet. This is Captain Holly Short. She's the one I told you about. She's responsible for saving all of our lives on multiple occasions," Artemis said, holding Holly by the shoulders so she wouldn't run. The elfin captain was tense. What was going on here?

Angeline smiled brightly and stepped forward to embrace the elfin captain.

"It's great to finally meet you. I must thank you very much, Captain. You have healed my family, and I'm not sure how I could ever repay you," Angeline said, holding Holly at arm length. After noticing the look on Holly's face, she added, "Of course, Arty would never have willingly told me anything. When that psychotic pixie took over me, I was still aware of what was going on. She also left me her memories. I asked Arty to tell the full story, though."

Upon hearing this, Holly visibly relaxed and smiled. She was relieved that Artemis had not betrayed her after all.

"Well, you're very welcome. It's nice to meet you, too," Holly said politely.

There was a moment of awkward silence. This was hardly a situation that you came across everyday: a genius son introducing his fairy friend to his mother. Artemis finally broke the silence.

"Mom, would you mind watching the twins for a moment? I need to talk to Holly."

Angeline caught on quickly and nodded. "Just as long as you invite her for dinner."

Artemis and Holly walked out of the library.

"Sorry about that. She wanted to meet you," Artemis said.

"So you told her _everything_?" Holly asked, stressing the word everything. Artemis caught her meaning. So she had not completely forgotten the kiss. This thought cheered him immensly.

"There were some things that I left out," he admitted.

"Like?"

Artemis coughed nervously. "The incident in the gorilla cage, for one thing. I also may have sugar-coated some of the more dangerous parts."

Holly nodded. "So Opal left her memories in Angeline," she mused. "Strange."

"Yes. We can discuss that at great length later, but for now, I'm a little concerned about this emergency you mentioned. Now, would you care to tell me how Opal Koboi broke out?" Artemis asked as they turned into his study.

"It's a long story. There's a battle going on in Atlantis, and during it, the prison was destroyed," Holly said heavily. Artemis sat down and placed his head in his hands with a groan. "But that's not all." Artemis glanced up sharply, meeting her mismatched eyes with his.

She hesitated, looking uncertain. "What do you know about the Greek gods and goddesses?"

"Other than the fact that I'm named after one, not much," he admitted.

"Well you better start learning, because we're going undercover."

"What do they have to do with this?" he asked.

"They're all alive, and not myths," she said. Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Arty. If they didn't exist, a lot of famous people wouldn't exist. George Washington, for example. Actually, me too," Holly said thoughtfully.

His mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember in all the stories how the gods and goddesses would have kids with mortals? Demigods? Heroes?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly think that's changed?"

"No," he admitted.

"Well, that's right. They still have kids with mortals. Not just humans, but fairies too, sometimes. They have a camp for demigods called Camp Half-Blood. Look, a lot of this stuff mortals aren't supposed to know. I only know because it's crucial to the case and my grandfather was one of them," she said.

"Who?" Artemis asked. Holly actually blushed. _This should be interesting,_ Artemis thought. _Apollo? Hermes?_

"Don't freak out, okay? He is Eros, or Cupid as you guys call him," Holly said. His mouth dropped open.

"Wow."

"Hey, I said no freaking out," she said. She heard him mutter something along the lines of "No wonder."

"What?" she asked

"Huh?"

"You said something."

"No, I didn't."

Holly continued to stare at him in a weird way. "Anyway," she said. "We need to go undercover at Camp Half-Blood."

"Why?"

"Because for some weird reason, Opal Koboi is there. We need to find out why."

"Oh. I hate to ask, but where is Camp Half-Blood? Greece?"

This time, Holly smirked. "How do you feel about New York City?"

**End Notes:** duh, duh, duh. . . .And here we go. : ) Keep reading (and reviewing!)

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	4. Chapter 4

**Salvete. **And here we go! : )

Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own either.

**Chapter 4**

Angeline had promised to watch the twins on one condition: that Artemis invite Holly for dinner. And he did invite her once they had finished packing and planning. (Okay, Artemis did the planning, Holly did the packing.) Angeline Fowl didn't say anything about Holly having to accept, though.

"Artemis, please. No. Your father will be there. And it would just be awkward," Holly was protesting while Artemis dug through a trunk of Juliet's old clothes in search of something nicer for Holly to wear.

"Holly, are you really scared of meeting my father? He's a great man. And technically, you already met him," Artemis argued back. His voice was muffled as he stuck his head into the trunk to look at the bottom.

"Diving into a freezing Arctic Ocean does NOT count as meeting someone, Artemis," Holly said.

"Look, just give my family a chance. We're not that bad!" Finally Artemis pulled out a skirt and shirt combo. He held it up to Holly, who backed away.

"No. No chance in heck," she said.

Artemis scowled. "Holly, dinner is a dress-up occasion for us. Please? For me?" Artemis had once promised himself that he would never be caught pulling the puppy-dog look. Well, I think he just broke a promise, because that is the exact look he gave Holly.

Holly sighed loudly. She grabbed the skirt/shirt combo from Artemis and growled. "You owe me. Big-time."

Artemis grinned. He had known that he would win. He always won.

~H~M~F~

Artemis met Holly at the head of the large staircase. Artemis had only ever seen Holly in her LEP uniform or jeans and a t-shirt. So, when she came out of the bathroom, he had to double check two things. The first was that it was indeed Holly Short that he saw coming toward him. The second was that he wasn't dreaming. The black skirt came down just below the knee. The green shirt looked perfect.

Holly, unfortunately, caught the stare. "Stop drooling, Mud Boy. Let's get this over with."

Artemis shut his mouth and straightened up. He held his arm out. Holly rolled her eyes.

"Are you trying to be a gentleman?" she asked, a smirk playing at her lips.

Artemis didn't answer, but she did take it.

~H~M~F~

"Do you think they're coming?" Artemis senior muttered to Angeline. "Should we start?"

Angeline touched her husband's arm and, once again, felt a surge of gratefulness for his safe return a few years previous. "They're coming now," she said as she caught sight of her son descending the steps with Holly.

"That's his girlfriend? She's pretty," Artemis senior whispered. His voice was tinged with surprise, and for good reason. His son hardly ever left the house, so it was amazing that he had met yet alone began dating someone like that. But, as they say, never judge a book by its cover.

"Shh. They're not dating. They're just friends," Angeline replied. It was easy to see how you could mistake the pair for a couple. They were both attractive, especially when paired like that.

"You met her already? I feel left out," Artemis senior whispered back. Angeline giggled and walked forward with her husband to meet their son's friend.

~H~M~F~

Artemis Fowl and Holly Short descended the stairs. Both were tense.

"It'll be fine," Artemis muttered under his breath. Holly rolled her eyes.

"You still owe me. Is this just to make your parents think that you have friends?" she asked.

"No," Artemis stated. Holly let it go as they strolled up to Angeline and Artemis Fowl Sr.

"Mother, you already met Holly. Father, this is my close friend, Holly Short. Holly, this is my father," Artemis Junior introduced. He was trying to ignore the fact that Holly was clutching his arm so hard that her fingernails bit in. You could say that she was slightly nervous about meeting his father. Either that or she was trying to get back at him for this. Or both, knowing her.

Artemis Fowl Sr. shook Holly's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Holly. I'm glad that Artemis has finally made a friend."

Holly smiled, though her old friend could tell it was fake. None of the others could, though, as they had never received a genuine smile from the elf.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Holly replied politely.

That was when the twin boys, Myles and Beckett, came running down the stairs.

"HOLLY!!!!" they shouted in unison before attacking the elf. Everyone laughed.

"Boys, please don't attack our guest," Angeline said.

The twins let go of the elfin captain with sorrowful faces. "Sorry Mom," they said simultaneously.

~H~M~F~

The mismatched group of humans (and a fairy!) sat around the table, enjoying dinner. Holly had almost visibly relaxed since the twins came in. She had ended up sitting next to her friend and across from his mother. Artemis Sr. sat at the head of the table.

Finally, Artemis Fowl Senior asked the question that his son and his son's friend had been dreading.

"So, Holly, how did you meet my son?"

Holly, who had been in the middle of a mouthful of soup, choked. Artemis hit her on the back. When she had finished gagging, tears in her eyes, she turned to the boy genius. They met eyes. To the rest of the table, it looked like they were having a conversation: there was raising of eyebrows and rolling of eyes. Finally, Holly said, "It was a group thing. Both of our schools were at Rathdown Park. Artemis approached me. It was very unexpected."

Artemis smirked. It wasn't noticed by Artemis Sr, though.

"What did he say to you?" Artemis Sr. asked, out of friendly curiousity.

Holly couldn't take it anymore and started laughing. "He asked me if I went there often." Everyone laughed, except Artemis, who blushed.

"What, seriously? And it worked? Wow. Holly, what in the world made you become friends with you?" his father asked.

Holly shrugged and looked at Artemis Jr. "Oh, I don't know. Just something about the he asked. At least he tried, no matter how lame a pick-up line it was. Plus he had been staring at me for at least five minutes. I figured that either he was a stalker or he wanted to talk to me."

Artemis blushed. "You caught that, huh?"

Holly nodded and smirked. It was almost too much fun embarrasing the boy.

Artemis Sr. looked from his son to Holly and back. The way they were acting around each other. . .It was almost as if Holly was trying to embarrass him. Nonetheless, they were good together. Kind of like the sun and moon.

The dinner finished without incident.

~H~M~F~

While Artemis and Holly were having a slightly awkward dinner with Artemis's parents, Foaly was making a phone call.

A centaur picked up on the other end. He looked stressed.

"Foaly! Long time no see!" he exclaimed. "What's up old friend?"

"Chiron, it's great to talk to you! But unfortunately, I'm on a business call. I need you to do me a favor. . ."

**End Notes:** And that is the end of this chapter. Thanks for coming! Have a nice day! :D Please review!

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	5. Chapter 5

**Salvete.** I don't own Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson. Now that we're all clear on that, let's begin! : )

**Chapter 5**

**Annabeth's POV**

The world went through patterns for me. First, it was dark. My dreams were haunted by strange beings that warned of terrible things. Then it was light. That was when I woke up. Oh, how I loved the light! Percy was by my side every time my eyes opened. Grover, Juniper, or Chiron would sometimes be sitting with him. Once or twice I saw his lips moving, but my facilities didn't stretch to hearing yet. After the blessed light came the cursed dark. After what I assume was a few hours of this game, I woke up for good. My eyes stayed open for more than fifteen seconds. Then my hearing returned. I don't know how I knew this, as the room was silent. Percy was once again sitting by my bedside.

"Are you awake?" he asked. I would have laughed if I could.

"I guess so," I said, struggling to sit up. "How long have I been out?"

"A while," Percy answered. I glanced at the window. It looked to be sometime around noon. The sun was high in the sky. "You passed out on the hill."

"How long have you been sitting here?" I yawned. As if I didn't know.

"Most of the time," he said. He turned red. I think I must have blushed, too.

"Thanks. You didn't have to." Awkward! Since when do I have problems figuring out what to say?

"I wanted to be sure you're okay," Percy said. At that moment, the door opened and Chiron came in. He was in his wheelchair, which must mean that we have new campers.

"Ah, Annabeth. You're awake," Chiron said. I nodded. The centaur gestured for me to get up. "Come on outside."

I stood up. The world spun. I think Percy must have noticed my slight sway, because he grabbed my arm and kept holding it.

"We just got three new campers, Annabeth. One arrived before you got back. The other two arrived about a minute ago. The boy belongs in your cabin. His companion is in Aphrodite's cabin," Chiron said, leading us outside.

I almost rolled my eyes, and I saw Percy actually roll his. At least we agreed on something. The last thing we needed was another obnoxious Aphrodite girl. They got super annoying. We walked onto the porch.

A boy and girl of about fourteen were talking at the table. I recognized the boy. It was Artemis Fowl the second. Anyone would have recognized him, especially since his recent three-year disappearance. The girl sitting next to him was unfamiliar. I could easily see how Artemis Fowl belonged in Athena's cabin: he was a genius. But the girl didn't seem like the stereotypical Aphrodite daughter. Most Aphrodite kids had blond hair and tons of make-up (the girls did, anyway.) This girl looked nothing like one. Her hair was auburn and her skin dark. She didn't have any make-up on. I wondered briefly what nationality she was. Now, when I say she didn't look like an Aphrodite daughter, I don't mean that she wasn't pretty; she was extremely pretty in a dangerous sort of way. Kind of like a. . .black widow.

I quickly noticed the eyes. Artemis Fowl Jr. had blue eyes—I'd seen them many times on the news or in newspapers—yet now he had a blue and hazel eye. Unless his contacts were really inconspicuous, his eyes had changed. The girl had the same color combination. The blue and hazel eyes were exactly the same shades. It made me wonder if—somehow—they had switched eyes. This makes me wonder. Chiron said that they were companions. I wonder if they're dating, or if this is just a coincidence. If they were dating, then—if they really had switched eyes—that was a really strange sign of love.

"Percy, Annabeth, this is Artemis and Holly," Chiron said. He turned to Artemis and Holly to tell them our names and cabins. We went through the awkward motions of introductions. Holly's voice didn't just have one accent; it sounded like a little bit of everything. Another quality that I wouldn't attribute to a daughter of Aphrodite.

Percy and I ended up showing them around so Chiron could go to his archery class. Now, here's another strange thing I noticed: neither Artemis nor Holly seemed surprised when Chiron showed his full form. In fact, they actually seemed relaxed. I wonder if they had seen a centaur before and if they have, where.

***

**Normal POV**

It was quite awkward between the four heroes when they were alone. Annabeth did most of the explaining. Artemis began memorizing faces and asking who was who. Annabeth and he started talking and walking faster, leaving Percy and Holly.

"So, your father is Poseidon? That's not very common, from what I've heard," Holly said, thinking of the time she had met that god in Atlantis. Percy nodded.

"You're right; it's not. There's only one other. Tyson. He's a Cyclops. My dad's one of the Big Three, so he wasn't supposed to have me because of the huge prophecy," Percy explained. It was Holly's turn to nod.

"Yeah, I've heard of it," she said.

"You're an Aphrodite daughter? You don't look like one. Not that I'm saying you're ugly or anything. You're very pretty. What I meant is. . .never mind," Percy gave up.

"Are you bugging her, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked, falling back to walk beside Percy. Artemis did the same on the other side.

Holly couldn't help it. She started laughing. "Seaweed Brain?" she asked.

Annabeth nodded. "In case you haven't noticed, Percy isn't the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Oh, sure. Say that to someone who's saved your life," Percy retorted. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"And almost got yourself killed in the process," she said, putting her hands on her hips. Percy and Annabeth were launched into an argument.

"Their bantering reminds me of someone," Artemis murmured to Holly. She nodded.

"Ditto. I just can't figure out who."

***

(A/N: I'm assuming that everyone reading this story has read the description of cabins before. So, I don't feel the need to describe them.)

When they got to the U-shape formation of cabins, the foursome split up. Annabeth and Artemis walked off in the direction of the Athena cabin, while Holly was pointed in the direction of Cabin 10, Aphrodite's cabin. Percy decided to go back to his own cabin.

Once Holly was out of earshot, Annabeth just _had_ to know.

"Sorry if I'm being rude, but is Holly your girlfriend?"

Artemis's looked a bit embarrassed as he the 'incident' in the gorilla cage came to mind.

"No, of course not. Why?"

It was Annabeth's turn look embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Just the way you two acted. Do people ask you that a lot?"

Artemis smirked. Fairies wouldn't dare ask if they were dating; humans didn't even know Holly. "Not at all. What about you and Percy? Are you dating? You seem to like him."

Annabeth scowled. "No."

"You don't seem too happy about that," Artemis commented.

She rolled her eyes as they arrived at the cabin. Artemis was impressed, which didn't happen very with human stuff. There were workbenches, tables, and no shortage of tools and weapons. There was a bookshelf along the back wall with plenty of scrolls, leather-bound books and paperbacks. The bunks were pressed against the walls. The effect was a look that held both ancient and modern aspects. It was empty of campers for the moment. "This is going to be your home while you're at camp."

"No wonder some people stay full time," Artemis commented.

Annabeth laughed. "You should see some of the other cabins."

To Be Continued. . . .

**End Notes:** Sorry. I just couldn't resist. Next time, I'll come up with a less awkward ending. But for now, I just knew that I HAD to get the chapter up while I could. Sunday is the big move, so I don't know when I'll update next.

Please review!

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	6. Chapter 6

**Salvete. **Thanks for sticking with the story! Please remember to leave your comments. ; )

**Chapter 6**

**Thursday**

Life settled into a quick pattern in Camp Half-Blood for Holly Short and Artemis Fowl. The former found herself quickly annoyed with her cabin's shallowness, while the latter found his cabin very like-able.

"I mean, seriously, how can one find shoes so exciting?" Holly asked on the way to archery. Though they were the only ones on the path, she was speaking in Gnommish to prevent eavesdroppers. The pair knew they were late but didn't want to rush, as their free time together was limited.

Artemis laughed. "I have no clue."

The targets were empty.

"Did we get the time wrong?" Holly asked, checking her watch.

"No. We might as well practice though. The gods know that I need it," Artemis replied in English. Holly laughed.

"This should be interesting." This was the first time the Athena and Aphrodite cabins had archery together, though they were planning on teaming up for Capture the Flag on Friday. Annabeth had noticed that Holly and Artemis fought extremely well together in swordplay during the doubles. In fact, they almost beat her and Percy. They obviously made an excellent team. She decided that they needed a team like that and asked Aphrodite to team up with Athena, Hermes, and Poseidon.

Artemis grimaced. "Interesting for you maybe. Embarrassing for me."

He gamely picked up the bow and arrow. He was just taking aim when a pair of arms interrupted. They moved his head and wrapped around his shoulders. Artemis felt a warm breath by his cheek.

"Who taught you to shoot an arrow, Mud Boy?" Holly asked.

Artemis—for the sake of his dignity—decided not to reply.

"Okay," Holly said, loosening her grip. "Let go of the arrow."

The arrow hit dead center.

There was a loud cough behind them. Percy and Annabeth were standing there, along with most of students signed up for this class. Holly and Artemis blushed crimson and jumped about five feet apart.

***

**Friday**

Annabeth and Holly snuck invisibly among the undergrowth. Holly's motions were slowed and controlled. The last thing she needed was a spurt of sparks in midair. One false move could give their position away, causing a chain reaction. They could only hope that their friends were faring well back at base.

An explosion on the other side of the forest reminded them of their limited time. Connor and Travis Stoll were very likely in custody as a result. The distraction had worked.

Artemis's plan for Capture the Flag was perfect: send in three teams. The first team—the Stoll brothers—would create a huge explosion to distract the enemy. The second team—consisting of Justin and Nichole, two campers from Athena's cabin—the was a less obvious diversion. Nothing the enemy wouldn't expect. They would act like they were sneaking, then they would allow themselves to be caught. The enemy would relax just enough for the third team—Annabeth and Holly, the only ones able to turn invisible—to sneak in to steal the flag. Holly was using a 'magic object' to disguise her shielding abilities. It was a simple but brilliant plan.

"We need to split up," Annabeth whispered to Holly, handing her a blue piece of cloth. From a distance, it almost looked like the enemy's flag. "Distract them with this."

Holly nodded, though Annabeth couldn't see it. "Run. Fast. Twenty seconds."

Annabeth climbed the tiny hill, making sure to wait in a spot that they couldn't accidentally trip over her.

There was a sudden shout as the two guards began chasing Holly, who was waving the flag's twin. They were both from Ares, so they didn't think twice before following her.

Annabeth snatched the real flag.

Then she ran.

***

There were moments when when Annabeth didn't think she was going to make it. There was actually just one main moment. Her hat fell off right in front of an Apollo camper. They stared at each other in shock. Then Annabeth broke the spell by running. The guard was a moment too late.

Annabeth was running toward the creek. The two flag guards were pinning Holly to a tree by the tips of their swords.

Annabeth caught Holly's eye. . .

And jumped over the river, colliding with Percy.

The Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite and Poseidon cabins had just won Capture the Flag.

**End Notes: **Well, that's all for now folks! I just want to thank Athena, my lovely Muse, for the help! : )

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	7. Chapter 7

**Salvete. **And. . .here we go again. P.S. I know that Cupid/Eros is Holly's great-great grandfather, but I changed it to grandfather to make this work. *winkwink* You'll see what I mean.

**Chapter 7**

**Tuesday (in case you missed it : ) )**

During free time on Tuesday, it was too cold to swim, so most of the campers went off to practice sword fighting or various other activities. After unsuccessfully trying to find Artemis, Holly went to walk the empty beach. Turns out that it wasn't as empty as she originally thought, as she discovered five minutes. An elf was there. He was teenage in appearance, but somehow seemed old in years. He looked like Holly, at least in appearances. He had auburn hair, nut-brown skin, hazel eyes, a plump and cherubic mouth, and—of course—pointed ears. He caught sight of Holly quickly.

"Granddaughter, I'm glad you could join me," Eros—for of course it was he—called.

Holly grinned. "Long time no see, Grandpa."

"Oh, don't call me that. Makes me feel like an old man," the god answered after hugging his granddaughter.

"What brings you to Camp Half-Blood?" Holly asked, as they turned and began walking down the beach.

"I came to see you," Eros answered.

Holly looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know that you had time for social visits, what with the war and everything."

"I didn't come for a social visit, Holly," the young god said. This was when Holly noticed the bow and white arrows. She had learned long ago the different types of arrows.

"Are you here to shoot me?" she demanded

Eros frowned. "This isn't my choice. Aphrodite, my dear mother, sent me."

Holly backed up slowly from her grandfather.

"Not in the middle of a mission, please," she said, trying to fight the panic rising in her stomach.

"Relax. It's all planned out. Once I'm finished with you, I'll shoot Artemis," Eros said. Holly didn't like that idea at all.

"No!" she shouted. "It's one thing if you shoot me, but not Artemis too. He's a teenager. He won't. . .He'll screw everything up. You know he has zero people skills."

"I'll consider that. It was especially nice to see you again, Holly," Eros said. He fit an arrow to his bow and took aim. "Now, you might feel nauseous or faint, but it will pass." He fired.

***

Artemis was starting to get frustrated. He had checked the firing range, the arena, Holly's cabin, and every other place he could think of. The last place left was the beach. Artemis viciously kicked a pebble as he rounded the corner. Looking up from the path, he saw Holly on the beach with another elf. The elf looked strangely like Holly, but Artemis didn't notice this until he looked back on the events a few nights later. This was because the elf was aiming his bow and arrow at Holly, who was slowly backing away. Artemis started running.

"No," he muttered. Then, at a shout, "NO!"

The arrow was released and hit its mark. The man who shot her muttered something and disappeared. Holly sank to her knees, holding her stomach. Artemis sprinted the last few feet and skidded to a kneel next to Holly. He grabbed her chin and pulled it up so he could look in her eyes.

"Who was that?" Artemis demanded. Holly didn't speak but turned crimson. Finally Artemis brought himself to look at her stomach. There wasn't any blood. The arrow shaft was also missing. "What's going on?"

Artemis let go of her chin. Stubbornly not saying anything, Holly's head fell forward to rest on Artemis's chest. Artemis wrapped his arms around her tightly, and they sat like that for a long time. In the next few days, when Holly started avoiding Artemis, it would be this moment that he would look upon.

***

**Annabeth's POV**

**Thursday**

Percy and I walked along the path, heading into the forest. Holly was walking in front of us. Artemis was walking in the opposite direction. Why weren't they together? It's kind of strange. Normally they spend any free time together. They both kind of stopped, looking surprised to run into each other. Artemis opened his mouth to say something when Holly pushed past him and continued on the path. Artemis looked confused. This kind of thing had been happening ever since Tuesday, the day that we noticed them on the beach. Artemis walked past us, lost in his own world.

"What do you think about them?" I asked.

"Strange, very strange. But. . .They seem to like each other. Almost like Beckendorf and Silena. Or at least they used to." Percy said. So he agrees with me. Beckendorf and Silena were the big couple in camp right now. It had taken ages for them to finally realize that they were meant for each other, but it did happen. "I just wonder if they fought or something."

I frowned. "That's the last thing we need. They make a great team. I wonder what happened before they came to camp."

Percy shrugged. He must be more concerned about the prophecy at the moment. That reminds me. His sixteenth birthday is in a week.

"There's something I need to talk to Chiron about," he said.

"The prophecy." It wasn't a question. He nodded. "Go ahead."

Percy turned back. I continued walking through the woods, trying not to think. That is easier said than done, by the way. Finally, I came to the opening to the meadow. It's a secret pathway that leads to a small meadow. I go there to think sometimes. I turned into the pathway.

To be perfectly honest, I expected the meadow to be empty. Boy was I in for a shock! Holly was curled up under a tree. She didn't look happy.

"Holly?" I called.

Holly jumped. She hadn't see me. She must come here to think, too.

"Hey!" she called back.

"What's wrong?" I said, plopping down beside her.

"It's nothing," she muttered, looking embarrassed.

I highly doubt that. "It's Artemis, isn't it? I noticed that you kind of walked past him on the path. What did he do?"

Holly sighed. "It's not him, it's me. It's kind of a long story."

In other words, it's none of my business. I get it. She wasn't going to tell me. But somehow, I understood. She had the same problem I did, kind of. "You like him, don't you?" I asked, softly.

Her eyes widened. I'm taking that as a yes.

"Come on, be honest. Please. I'm not going to say anything to him, unless you want me to," I said.

Holly sighed and looked away. "Yes. I do. Like him, I mean. At least I think I do." She seemed uncertain of her words. "A while ago, something almost started between him and I. It didn't work out, and we drew a line. To be more honest, I did. I didn't think I liked him at the time, but now. . .Never mind. It's probably just my feelings playing tricks on me."

Somehow, I have a feeling that this goes deeper and more serious than she said. Something is keeping them from being together. I said the only thing I could think of. "I think that he likes you. You should go for it."

It was the wrong thing to say. Holly scowled.

"Not now. This is the wrong time for it. We can't—Look, I don't know how to explain this to you. Artemis and I cannot be together. Even if we both wanted it." She shook her head. I thought I heard her mumble, "Too many differences." But I might have been mistaken.

"I know how you feel."

"Percy." It definitely wasn't a question. And it wasn't one that I really wanted to answer.

I guess she got an answer from my face. I looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"Boys, right?" Holly said.

I laughed and nodded. That was the end of the that.

**End Notes:** Thanks for reading.

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	8. Chapter 8

**Salvete. **I need to thank 3 people/groups of people.

Athena, once again, for everything.

My readers—without which, this wouldn't work.

My reviewers—whom I rely upon for my sanity in this cruel, dark world.

**Chapter 8**

**Saturday Morning**

Artemis laid in the dark quiet of the Athena Cabin. It was the middle of the night—maybe three in the morning—and he couldn't sleep. He may have lost his magic, but the power of the full moon kept a firm grip. It was only a few days ago that he had witnessed Holly getting shot by that elf. No arrows or blood; no trace. Holly denied that the whole thing had happened. And Artemis still couldn't get the way they had held each other out of his head. After that, Holly started avoiding him completely. She would walk the other way when seeing him on the path. She wouldn't meet his gaze at the dinner pavilion, though he had caught her looking at him on more than one occasion.

Getting out of bed, Artemis sighed. If this was going to continue for the rest of his life, he was going to go insane. Artemis pulled on shorts and stepped into his shoes silently. He slipped out the door and walked down the path to the beach. Maybe if the moon hadn't have been distracting him, he would have realized how stupid this was and would have thought about what might happen. It was too late for him to turn back, though.

Artemis rounded the corner and the ocean came into view. The waves lapped along the sand. A figure stood silhouetted in the moon light. The wind blew her auburn hair back. Artemis could have mistaken her for one of the goddesses had she not turned to look at him. Her hazel and blue eyes danced as she smiled and gestured for him to join her. She held out her hand.

Her shoes were visible a short distance away. Artemis took his shoes off and stepped into the water. It was cool on his skin but felt good. Artemis took her hand, and they stood there together for a time.

"You've been avoiding me," Artemis accused. Holly's eyes flew open. They had been slowly shutting.

She turned to face him. "I have not."  
Artemis took a step closer to her. He could hear her breath speed up.

"I'm not a moron, Holly," Artemis snapped. He changed his mind and tone to a gentler sound. "You have barely spoken to me. Why? Are you still mad about the lie? Did something happen?" All he wanted to do was make things right. Holly met his mismatched eyes with her own. There was something in them that Artemis couldn't quite place.

"No, Arty," she smiled brilliantly. Her teeth reflected moonlight. Artemis felt his pulse speed up a notch. _Stupid hormones,_ he thought. "Everything's fine. I've already forgiven you for the lie." Her free hand touched his cheek. His pulse went up another three notches at her touch.

"Past in the past," Artemis muttered. Then a memory came to mind from a few days previous. That man had shot Holly, but yet no arrow could be found anywhere. She had seemed pretty upset at first. That was when Holly had started avoiding him. With a shock of realization, he realized who that man must have been. Artemis let go of her hand and took a step back.

"That man- the one who shot you the other day. . .Was that you grandfather? Erso?" Artemis demanded.

Holly blushed and turned away.

"Yes, Artemis. It was."

With that simple sentence, his fears were confirmed and everything clicked. Holly didn't hate him. That's not why she had been avoiding him. She loved him and was trying not to jeopardize the mission. She loved him back! For a split second, he felt happy and relieved, but it didn't last. The bone crushing truth sank in: this wasn't actual love. This was forced. Anger consumed him. Why had Eros shot her now? Wasn't their relationship already in ruins? Even if Holly claimed to like him, he couldn't do anything about it! It would be the cruelest thing he could ever do. Artemis couldn't figure out what to say or do before Holly started speaking. Actually, she was more stammering instead of speaking. She was trying to figure out what to say.

"Artemis-I. . .The arrows, they. . ." Holly paused and took a deep breath to begin again. "Look, way before this mess, I got to visit my grandfather. He told me a bit about the arrows. I'm not sure if he knew then that he would have to shoot me."

Artemis knew he shouldn't, but he had to interrupt. "Have to? Isn't it up to him who he shoots or not?"

"Generally yes, but sometimes, Aphrodite gives him specific instructions to help out a certain case. Especially if she gets bored," Holly said. Her eyes were trained out at sea. She was very likely aware of Artemis staring at her. "Anyway, there are different arrows. They do different and symbolize different things. The red one symbolizes passion. This arrow is the one that humans think of when they think of Eros shooting people. In truth, it is the one that he uses the most. It mostly causes lust. It wears off quickly, leaving the person with their original opinions." Holly laughed bitterly as she glanced at Artemis. His facial expression was that of someone who had just swallowed a lemon. "The white arrow isn't anything like the red. It doesn't cause love. It renews it or awakens it. The only way the arrow would work is if the person already has feelings for the other person. If they don't, it's a lost cause—er, arrow. Eros calls it the 'Eureka!' arrow. It wears off in about a day, but the feelings that it stirs up stay. Those are the two main arrows that Eros uses. The point is that you can't _force_ someone to love someone else. Others are yellow for friendship, black for hate, and so on."

"Holly," Artemis began carefully. "Which arrow did Eros use on you?" He was almost afraid to know the answer to this question.

"White."

Before Artemis had time to feel relief or happiness, the conversation at that moment stopped, for our heroes found a deadly human gun pointed at them.

* **

Belinda was never a heavy sleeper. She was too paranoid. The slightest noise would causer to wake. She had trained herself not to sit up when she woke, but instead to feign sleep. This precaution was always used in case an assassin or a robber came in the dead of night.

On this particular night, though, what woke her was Artemis Fowl leaving the cabin. _This is my chance,_ Belinda thought. She had been waiting for this moment for a week. After grabbing the gun hidden inside her quiver of arrows, Belinda crept out the door quieter than a mouse could ever dream to be. Once outside, she kept to the shadows as she followed her prey to the beach. She was about to attack when she saw who Artemis was meeting.

_This is just too perfect,_ Belinda thought as she settled in to wait for the perfect moment to attack. The conversation that she witnessed was worth the wait, as she found out.

* **

Shrill laughter filled the air as Belinda stepped into the moonlight. Artemis and Holly turned, quizzical expressions decorating their faces.

"You two are so hilarious!" Her voice changed into a poor imitation of Holly and Artemis. "'Why are you avoiding me?' 'What arrow did Eros use?' 'Is this real?' 'Does he like me?' 'Does she like me?' Give me a break! You sound just like two teenagers! You're not even the same species!"

Holly and Artemis tensed when she waved that fact around.

"You don't even know who I am, do you?" Belinda's voice was rising in pitch. It was becoming more and more familiar.

Artemis gasped. "Opal!"

Holly's eyes widened as she realized he was right. She looked ready to kill and in fact did surge forward in a move to attack the pixie. Fortunately, Artemis reacted quickly and held her back. He kept his arms around her to hold her back.

"Oh, very good, Fowl. Hold her back. I can see. Holly Short wants to kill me!" Opal/Belinda cackled, reminding Artemis of a witch.

"Murderer," Holly hissed.

Opal/Belinda smirked. "Still upset about that are we? And it's all your fault! All I did was plan to topple fairy civilization! Then you wouldn't have it! So, I plan a few simple assassinations to get you out of the way for my next plan, but you had to survive! On top of that, you completely wrecked my second plan! I have had enough!"

While Opal ranted like the maniacal pixie she was, Artemis put a plan into action. He quietly muttered under his breath to Holly not to react. She rolled her eyes in response. So, Artemis prayed that Holly wouldn't murder him then and there. _Here goes,_ he thought. Artemis moved his right arm so it wasn't around her shoulder, but was at her waist. He plucked the phone out of her back pocket. As he did this, he felt her tense. With any luck, Opal was too busy ranting to notice. Artemis quietly turned the phone on and selected Annabeth's number. Choosing his message carefully, he began to text. . .

***

The Athena cabin awake to a buzzing noise.

"What in the world is that?" Justin asked groggily.

Annabeth was instantly alert. She grabbed her vibrating phone.

"More importantly, where are Artemis and Belinda?" asked Nichole, having just noticed the two empty bunks.

Annabeth grew pale as she read the answer on her phone.

ANNBTH. TRBLE BEACH. BLINDA POSSBLY WRKING W/ KRNOS. SHES TRPPED US. HAS MRTAL GUN. UNSTBLE. HLP IF U CAN.

"I think we found them. Armor, everyone. Now!! Nichole, please get Chiron. Tell him there's an emergency on the beach," she said. "We have a traitor in our midst."

Together, the Athena cabin made their way to the beach to hear the ending of Belinda's speech.

***

". . .and when I'm queen of the universe, you two will be my slaves. You are the most annoying couple above or below this earth!" screeched Opal Koboi. She was almost finished with her 'take-over-the-world' rant. Artemis was already tired of it.

"Koboi, we've already heard several variations of this speech. You should know by now that you're not going to win," Artemis said in a tired voice.

Opal Koboi glared at him suspiciously. "What have you done, Fowl?"

"Nothing yet," Artemis paused as he noticed something in the bushes. He saw Annabeth put a finger to her lips and turned away.

Koboi saw his glance. "Something in the bushes Fowl? Step away from your friend. Five steps that way." She pointed to the left. Artemis casually slipped the phone in Holly's pocket. With his hands raised, he did what he was told, warning Holly with his eyes not to attack the crazy pixie.

"Good. You know, Mud Boy, I've been wanting to kill you for quite some time. And with you gone, I can finally be free. No offense, Holly dear."

She placed her tiny finger on the trigger. Annabeth plunged her dagger into Belinda from behind, but it was too late. Opal and her finger were too far gone.

Holly's shout was heard with the crack of the gun. "No!"

**End Notes:** Bum, Bum, bum! : )

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	9. Chapter 9

**Salvete.** And this is a pretty big chapter. I know you may just want to get to the AF or PJO parts, but you HAVE to read the part about Julia. On another note, I think this is my longest chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson; no copyright infringement intended.

_Don't try to explain your mind  
I know what's happening here  
One minute it's love  
And suddenly it's like a battle-field_

_Why does love always feel like a battlefield?_

_Can't swallow our pride,  
Neither of us wanna raise that flag,  
If we can't surrender then we both gonna lose what we had._

_Why does love always feel like a battlefield?_

_I guess you better go and get your armor._

~Some Lyrics from Battlefield, by Jordin Sparks.

**Chapter 9**

**New York City**

**Julia Allen's POV**

I jumped off of the dumpster and landed in the alleyway.  
"This won't work," I said to Olivia. My best friend fit her name perfectly. She had olive skin and dark, dark green eyes. Her hair was black. She was almost the opposite of me in appearances. I'm pale with almost golden hair, and my green eyes are almost neon. The difference is that she's an outcast Hades daughter, and I'm just a mortal with the Sight. I'm happy that I'm not a demigod.  
"I wouldn't be so doubtful. My Lord knows what he's doing," she said.  
That was another thing that worried me. I didn't know who her master was. I'm not sure I wanted to know. Olivia has been my best friend since Pre-K, when she pushed me in the dirt after I tripped her in class. She knew she was a demigod since third grade. Then, last summer, after she turned fifteen, she did a full turn-around. She's still Olivia deep down inside, but she's changed. I don't know what has caused it, but she just won't shut up about her new master. She's never told me his name either. And now, suddenly he wants me to do a test mission. He thinks there's a power in my amulet that is able to kill the gods. What a ridiculous theory!  
I fingered my amulet and bit my lip, a habit I'd been doing more and more often. The onyx in the center flashed. It was ready for its gruesome task.  
"We'll see," I said. Olivia rolled her eyes.  
"Just keep that thing away from me."  
I smirked. Olivia might be a demigod, but that doesn't mean she immune to everything.  
A white light flashed at the end of the alley.  
"Now go and tempt him. If this works, my Lord will repay you," Olivia said. She flashed a smile at me. I grinned evilly.  
"How do I look?"  
"Perfect. Give me the sweatshirt," she said, holding out her hand. I rolled my eyes and pulled off the Penn State sweatshirt.  
"This outfit is ridiculous!" I protested. The outfit picked out for this mission was a black lacy camisole, tight jeans, and two-inch stilettos that I could barely walk in.  
"Ridiculous but unresistable, especially for the Himerus, the god of lust."  
I frowned. This was wrong on so many levels. "Tell me what brought him here."  
"Why, the note that you sent him," Olivia said, smirking.  
I frowned again. "I never sent him a-"  
Olivia laughed. "Just go, Julia. All you have to do is get close enough to hit him with the amulet. If that amulet is real, he won't notice a thing. He'll be in captivity faster than you can say Tartarus. And then we can determine if we need you or not."  
"And if you don't need me?"  
"Oh, believe me. We'll need you," Olivia said. Her eyes flashed, warning me to get on with the task.  
I scowled and walked toward him, trying to make my gait look at least a little bit attractive. A man waited at the entrance to the alley. I had to admit, he was attractive. He was also the first god I've ever met, not counting seeing Zeus from across Times Square.  
Trying to make my voice soft and innocent, I called to him. "Are you Himerus?"  
If I pronounced that right, I will seriously faint.  
"Are you Julia?" he replied. He had stunning hazel eyes. I didn't appreciate the way he was looking at me, but it was all part of the plan.  
"The one and only," I said. I smiled my best smile at him. His expression was almost pained.  
I walked as close as I dared. He straightened up.  
"Just as beautiful as I imagined," he leaned in to touch me. That's when I hit him with the amulet.  
He gasped and fell powerless to the alley's disgusting concrete. I bent over him.  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
"Your worst nightmare," I whispered.  
Himerus passed out. I wasn't aware at that time that that line would become my signature sign-off.

Laughter filled the alley. It sounded like a knife scraping on a stone and sent shivers down my spine. Olivia's rich alto laughter joined it. She walked up behind me.  
"Fantastic job," she congratulated. There was another flash of light, and a pale boy with blond hair appeared. A scar covered half of his face. Olivia bent forward in what I'm assuming was a bow. I raised an eyebrow. This was her master? This scrawny little kid?  
"Julia, you have passed the test. I always knew you would pull through for us," the boy said. His voice sent shiver down my spine. "How rude of me. I know your name, but you do not know mine. I am Kronos, the Titan of time."  
My gasp was loud compared to the quiet alley. I knew mythology well enough to know that this Titan had eaten his own children and worse. He was supposed to be locked up in Tartarus.  
"Do not be afraid. You would be a valuable asset to this war. I would provide excitement to your bone-dry life. That's what you long for, is it not? School is boring. Everything repeats. But not if you join me. There will be adventures beyond your wildest dreams."  
My eyes clouded over. I could see what he was talking about. I could picture myself doing those things with Olivia. I wouldn't be left out anymore. I could escape my empty life. I wouldn't have to go away to boarding school this year.  
"It's your choice. I know the Olympians haven't been kind to you. Why do you think you get these visions? Why do you think you see what's going to happen? Apollo has placed his curse on you. You can escape that lonely future, but only if you join me," Kronos continued. There wasn't a need, for I was already sold on the idea.  
"I suppose I could try it out," I said.  
"Good," he said. And just like that, I was sold to the Lord of Time_._

*******

**A Week Later**

**Somewhere in California**

Olivia glanced out the window. "Oh, he is so hot," she muttered. I peeked over her shoulder. Of course I knew Apollo was going to be hot, but I was still surprised.

"Olivia, remember what we talked about," I whispered in her ear.

She nodded. "I'll just wait back there." She turned and walked to the back of the club, swinging her hips. Her high heels made clicking sounds all along the way. I rolled my eyes. Olivia was a dear friend, but sometimes I wondered what the effects of modern society were on her. I hopped onto a bar stool and fingered my amulet, biting my lip. My finger mistakenly brushed against the onyx, and I gasped. Visions of the trapped gods flashed through my mind, and once again, I wondered if it was a mistake to join Kronos. The door creaked open. I sat up and composed myself.

*******

**Normal POV**

A seventeen-year old walked down the street. He was sporting jeans, loafers, and a t-shirt. One might mistake him for a movie star or even a male model, but it was actually the god Apollo. He was on his way to meet a girl. Literally. He'd heard rumors about Julia Allen, the girl with the golden hair and the voice of an angel, and decided to check it out. Not only that, but he had received a note implying that she'd like to meet him. If that wasn't suspicious, he didn't know what was.

Finally, the god came upon the club that Julia worked at: Joe's Bar and Grill. She sang and waitressed there. Before walking in the door, he paused, reminding himself to be careful. The gods and goddesses of Olympus had been disappearing one by one this week, and he really did not want to be the next. This included the minor gods. Everything had started with Himerus. He had gone out to meet some girl and disappeared. A lot of the minor gods, including his two brothers, Eros and Anteros, had gone out to search for him. Eros had gotten sidetracked because of a command his mother had given him. And then he disappeared, too.

He opened the door and walked in.

The club was completely empty. Apollo went up to the counter. The door shut behind him.

"Sure took you long enough," an alluring voice came. Apollo turned and came face to face with a pair of bright green eyes. Honey blond hair framed her pale skin. She was very striking. Apollo saw the amulet she wore round her neck and froze at the aroma it gave. "Hmm, yes. That's right. You're going to feel dizzy, but don't worry, it's not a lethal dose."

And that being said, she quickly hit him over the head with the amulet.

Apollo blinked as his vision started blurring and becoming grey.

It could only one thing that was causing this. The only substance in the world that was poison to the gods. _Neco deus, _which is Latin for "to kill a god." If you mixed pure stardust with a mortal's ashes and animal blood, you would get it. It was an extremely rare thing, thanks to the pure stardust part. There was a rumor of a rock constructed of this substance. The rock looked like an onyx, but once put into an amulet of the Titan's design, it sent the smell of the dust through the air. One hit from the stone could certainly cause unconsciousness. It trapped gods inside of it. And here this girl was wearing it. The only problem was that these rumors were supposed to be just that—rumors, not actual fact. Athena would pissed, for sure.

This girl must be working for Kronos then. A hunter of gods.

"Who are you?" he asked, as his strength waned.

" Your worst nightmare."

Apollo's world went black.

***

Julia's POV

I bent down over Apollo's body and smirked. It was only too easy to lure these idiotic, arrogant gods to their capture.

"Very good, Julia," a voice like icy metal rang in my ears. It used to cause me shivers, but I've gotten used to it.

"Thank you, my Lord."

Only two more gods to go. Why did I ever get into this? I should have left it to Olivia and more of her demigod friends.

"Because you know that what you're doing is for the best, Julia."

Right, telepathy. I forgot. Darn Titans.

***

**Camp Half-Blood**

**Sometime early Monday Morning**

**Artemis POV**

Flashback

_Through the haze, not much was recognizable. General shapes. I remember felt a searing pain in my right shoulder, and knew that that was where the bullet hit. I crumbled to the sand and saw stars. I was not sure if they were supposed to be there or not. Moments later, I felt pressure on it; someone was digging the bullet out. It stung. I wanted to tell them to stop, but I couldn't say anything. I also couldn't hear anything. Then, I saw her face, bending over me, wet with tears. She was saying something. Probably reassuring me. I couldn't see clearly enough to read her lips. Blackness hovered on the edge of my vision. I realized what was going on: I was going into shock. Blue light illuminated us both, making me realize how close she was. Then the whole world went black. That was all I remembered._

Present

The black was fading, slowly. Of that much, I was sure. I was also aware that coarse sand no longer surrounded me. It was soft fabric. . .cotton? There was a warm breath on my hand. It was steady and even. Someone's head was resting there as they slept. Who? My eyelids still felt heavy. Through them, I could sense light, swirling around me. I had to open them! It was like trying to lift a 100-lb weight; my eyelids felt so heavy. I would not sink back into darkness! I couldn't! The weight lifted with practice, as did my eye lids. It was so bright that I wanted to shut them immediately. But I didn't, for I knew that if I did, they wouldn't open again.

The light grew safer to look at after a small time. My eyes had adjusted. I was looking up at a sky blue ceiling. I had no clue where I was. My best guess—I cringed at the word guess—was one of the rooms in the Big House. My hearing returned, and I realized the only thing I could hear was deep breathing. It was time to find out who was waiting for me to wake up. I turned my head. Holly's head was resting on her arms. Her head was centimeters from my hand. From this view, her face looked almost angelic. But. . .why was she waiting—and sleeping—here? Shouldn't she be in her cabin? The windows were still dark. There were hints of dawn creeping on the horizon. I could know what was going on if I woke her up and asked her. But I couldn't do that yet. I had to think through some things.

There was no doubt that I liked—heck, possibly loved—Holly more than I should. She said she was hit by the white arrow. Of course, that could just mean that she likes me like a friend. But the way she touched my cheek back on the beach felt far from friendship. That could have been my perspective, though. After everything I've done to her—lying, kidnapping, hurting her—she still might like me. That makes no sense.

I shook my head, remembering what Butler had said about trying to understand women. He's most definitely right.

It was time for her to wake up. "Holly?" I asked tentatively. I was trying to look like I'd just woken up.

She lifted her head and smiled.

"Care to tell me why you watched me sleep for so long?" she asked. My cheeks heated. Of course, she'd been awake the whole time. I should have known that.

"I could ask you the same question," I smirked.

Holly rolled her eyes. "There's a major difference, Arty. Believe me."

"You were here the whole time I was out." It wasn't a question.

Holly nodded, confirming my suspicions.

"Why?" I asked.

"I just had to be sure you were okay," Holly said, suppressing a yawn. She shivered, obviously cold. A strange urge came over me—an urge to touch her.

"You need to rest," I said, trying to be firm. She should leave before I do something to screw up our relationship further.

"I'm not leaving," she said, returning to her earlier position.

"You're going to hurt your back doing that," I stated.

Holly knew me too well. She could tell what I was getting at. "What do you suggest then?"

I moved over, leaving a space next to me. Holly was obviously too tired to argue or care that she was climbing into bed with her best friend. There wasn't much room, so Holly ended up placing her head on my chest. Not that I'm pretesting, but she'd probably regret it in the morning. Oh, wait. It was morning. Make that a few hours.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

"I don't. Are you sure you don't?" I responded.

Holly laughed and pressed closer. I wrapped my arms around her; we fell asleep quickly.

***

(STILL Artemis's POV)

I awoke to Holly rolling out my arms. She sat back in her chair. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows. I barely had time to ask her what was wrong when the door opened. It was Percy and Annabeth. I tried sitting up.

"Oh, good. You're up," Annabeth said. "How do you feel?"

"Fine." It was the truth.

"Did you spend the rest of the night here?" Percy asked Holly. Holly looked embarrassed but nodded. Annabeth caught her eye, and if I'm not mistaken, she winked. What was that all about?

"Did Holly brief you on what happened last night—er, this morning?" Annabeth asked me, all business. I shook my head.

"Unfortunately, we lost Belinda. I plunged too close to the heart." This was, luckily, good news. It was bad that we lost Opal, but I wasn't about to go to her funeral. Annabeth seemed pretty upset by this. I sensed that there was something worse that she needed to tell me. "And, our spies reported two ships heading for Mount Olympus

we discovered a fleet of ships heading towards Mount Olympus. It's Kronos."

I didn't get why this was bad news. The gods could take care of themselves. They were _gods_.

Percy butt in. "Wait, why is this bad? The gods can take care of themselves." I almost laughed. Holly and Annabeth simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Didn't you listen the other night? Olympus stands unprotected. Or at least we assume it is. We can't get through to anyone on it. We sent a messenger, but he didn't come back. A group of us is getting together this afternoon to talk over how to proceed from here. Maybe you'd like to join us?" Annabeth explained. This was the part when everyone would ask for my brilliant ideas.

"With Holly by my side, of course. But I'd like to talk to her alone," I said. They nodded.

"We'll talk to you guys later," Percy said, walking out the door.

***

**Annabeth POV**

Percy and I walked out of the Big House.

"So, do you think they're going to admit it?" I asked Percy idly. He smiled.

"Do you remember how long it took Beckendorf and Silena? It might take them just as long," he replied.

We turned to go down to the lake.

"I don't think so. They're right on the brink," I said.

"Brink of what?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. Boys are so stupid sometimes. How did people ever think that they were the dominant sex? "The brink of dating. You can just tell. The looks they're giving each other, how much time they spend together, how much they've been through. . ." I let that trail off to see if he got what I was saying. Not that I could tell. "And maybe if he would pay attention to her for five seconds, he would actually notice that she really likes him."

"Yup." How did I ever fall for him?

I'm not giving up just yet.

"This upcoming war really makes you think about what's important," I said softly. He finally looked at me. He finally got that I hadn't been talking about Holly and Artemis. Neither of us said anything. We just stared at each other.

He opened his mouth to speak when Grover and Juniper came up behind us.

"Hi guys!" Grover said cheerfully.

I could have screamed just then. We were so close! I sighed.

"Hey Grover," Percy responded. They started talking about the war. I noticed Percy glance my way once or twice.

"There's something strange with that girl, Annabeth," Juniper said, turning to me.

"I saw you guys on the beach last night. And when Artemis was shot, Holly ran over to him. I couldn't see what she was doing, but then blue sparks healed the wound," Juniper said. I frowned; that was extremely strange.

"No wonder we couldn't find a wound. I'm sure it was just a healing spell or something," I said lightly.

"That's the thing. Apollo's kids can't even do that! I asked one about healing. When I said something about the blue sparks, he looked at me like I was insane," Juniper said. She seemed worried. Come to think of it, I think I saw the blue light, too.

"Well, that's strange. I wonder," I bit my lip. I didn't want to say any of my suspicions. I stood up. "I'm going to go see if I can find anything; thanks, Juniper."

I bit my lip harder and walked away. This was all very strange. Mark my words, there's something weird going on.

***

Normal POV

(On a walk through the woods)

"I guess our mission is over, now that Opal is dead," Artemis commented. The crisp air smelled of rain, and dark clouds hovered over camp. They'd been reassured that it never rained over Camp Half-Blood, but somehow they doubted it.

"I guess so. I'm going to stay. They need help with this war," Holly said, firmly. Artemis smiled. He'd been thinking the same thing he had.

"Me too," Artemis said. "Holly," he started, unsure of what to say or how to phrase his question.

"I guess you're wondering about what I said last night," she said.

"You said you were shot by a white arrow." It wasn't question. "What does that mean?"

"What do you want it to mean?" They had arrived at the meadow, and were sitting on a small cluster of rocks.

"Something close to what I'm feeling," Artemis mumbled.

Holly turned to face him. Her mismatched eyes were unreadable.

"Tell me what you're feeling," she whispered.

Artemis looked embarrassed and extremely nervous. "I really l—like you. A lot. More than I probably should." Artemis was suddenly angry with himself. That wasn't what he meant to say. How was it that he could face trolls and Opal Koboi without a problem, but when it came to telling Holly he was in love with her, he chickened out?

"Like wasn't what you were going to say, was it?" Holly asked.

Artemis bit his lip. He didn't answer.

"Artemis, say what you mean!" Holly exclaimed. She was fed up with his games.

"I love you," he muttered under his breath. Holly lifted his chin to make him look in her eyes.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked calmly.

"I guess not. But now it's you're turn," Artemis smirked.

Holly blushed. "I love you too."

"How come you can say it so easily?" Artemis asked. "That's not fair."

Holly grinned. "Who said life was fair? Besides, you've always had problems expressing emotions. Why is this any different?"

That being said, the heavens opened, and rain poured on them in sheets. Artemis jumped up, intending to run to the cabins, but Holly grabbed his arm.

"Not scared of a bit of water, are you? It's not like you'll melt!"

And, after laughing at Artemis's wet-dog appearance, she kissed him.

It was incredible. Fire spread through both of them. Every nerve felt like a live wire. Blue sparks danced behind their eyes. It felt like it would tear them apart, then at the same time, it sewed them together. It was unbearable, but at the same time, it was the best thing they'd ever experienced. After an eternity, they pulled apart. Both were dazed.

"Oh," Holly muttered.

"Mild understatement," Artemis said, blinking blue sparks from his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes. Are you?" Holly retorted. The only other thing she'd been this sure about was that she was going to be in Recon.

"If this is a mistake, it's one worth making, for sure," Artemis answered stroking her face.

"Then let's make it."

Their lips met once more. Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed.

A rustling in the woods alerted made them realize they had company. They pulled apart unwillingly.

"Typical," a girl's voice rang out. "We get here and it's raining."

"Relax. It's just water," another girl's voice replied. It had more of a powerful tone to it.

The first girl replied. "Sorry, Lady Artemis."

Then the group of girls burst into the meadow. All were in their early teens, and all were armed with bows. They were all more or less glaring at Artemis. Holly automatically stepped in front of her trouble prone friend. A girl with auburn hair and strange eyes stepped in front.

"Do not fear, fairy; my Hunters will not harm your friend," she said. Though she appeared to be around fifteen, barely older than Artemis, she spoke with the authority of someone older.

"Who are you?" Holly replied, not relaxing her protective stance.

The girl laughed. "I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."

**End Notes**: The end. Kidding! I'll update as soon as I can. Keyword: can. That may or may not be soon.

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl


	10. Chapter 10

**Salvete. **I know I'm really late. I'm really, really sorry. I've had the worst time trying to write this chapter. Between Writer's Block, and homework, it's just been a mess. My chapters are going to be a bit slower, because I just do not have time to write.

Okay, now that Artemis the goddess has come into play, this is going to get a whole bunch confusing, as it always is when there are 2 people with the same name. So, here's the deal:

Lady Artemis= obviously, the goddess (because Fowl is not a girl)

Artemis= Artemis Fowl.

**Disclaimer:**You know the drill. I don't own either fandom. Cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it.

**Chapter 10**

**Mt. Olympus**

The throne room in Olympus—as previously pointed out—was big. Like, really, really big. Humongous. And right now, the only two people in the room were not supposed to be there.

"Where is Kronos? He should be here by now," Olivia complained.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Stop complaining. He had a few delays. His spy at Camp Half-Blood was killed or something."

Olivia crossed her arms and began pacing. "I'm bored."

"Well stop pacing. It's annoying," Julia snapped. The amulet on her neck, which contained all but two aggravated gods of Olympus, was causing her mood to head south for the winter. It was also causing a full-scale migraine. Olivia's clicking heels on the marble were hammers pounding at her skull. Olivia caught the dangerous look in her eyes and sat down next to Julia.

"Why are you even wearing heels?" Julia asked, glancing at Olivia's outfit. The girl was dressed in a skirt and heels, of all things. "Didn't you hear Kronos? If things don't go right, we could have demigods at our heels, trying to kill us and release their parents."

Olivia shrugged. "It matches my outfit."

Julia looked at her own outfit: jeans and a tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail.

Olivia followed her gaze. "You know. . ."

"No."

"But-"

"No. You are NOT giving me a makeover."

"Fine. But at least let me do your hair."

Julia looked at her suspiciously. The last time Olivia had done that, she'd ended up with curly hair flying around her face. Granted, Julia had looked amazing, and had to break a few hearts that night, but it wasn't worth the hair in her face. It's one thing when you're going to a club to dance the night away, but when you could possibly go into battle at any minute? It would throw her off greatly.

"I'll have nothing to do but pace if you don't," Olivia pointed out.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Go ahead."

Olivia gave a cheerful squeak and undid Julia's ponytail. She pulled a comb out of her purse and began working the tangles out of Julia's hair. Julia drummed her fingers on the floor impatiently.

Why did I do this again? She wondered briefly before the thick, spikey tendrils of her migraine dragged her mind into blankness.

*******

**Camp Half-Blood**

"So, basically, what you're saying is that if Holly comes back now, it could possibly destroy the world?" Foaly asked, just for clarification. He'd understood what Chiron had said, but wasn't sure that Commander Kelp had.

Chiron nodded. "In a nutshell, yes."

Trouble rubbed his temples. "Unbelievable. You're keeping our best officer in camp all for an old prophecy. We need her in Atlantis."

"Either way, she'll be fighting in this war," Foaly pointed out.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Trouble asked.

"The side where the world isn't destroyed. Look, Trubs, a prophecy is a prophecy. You cannot mess with those," Foaly said.

Commander Kelp glared at the centaur. "Don't call me Trubs. How do you guys even know that this. . .prophecy is going to come true?"

Chiron stepped in. "They always do. I could give you plenty of examples, but you would very likely find them boring. You have plenty of LEP officers; surely, you could do without Holly for another week. Maybe two. She's one of the best shooters we have, not to mention how she fights with Artemis."

"With Artemis?" Commander Kelp asked, not sure what Chiron meant

"Of course. When they swordfight as a duo, only Percy and Annabeth can beat them. They make a good team; in fact, it's one that we'll need to defeat Kronos."

Foaly raised an eyebrow. Somehow, he couldn't picture Artemis sword fighting.

"How soon will we get her back?" Commander Kelp asked.

"Commander, with respect, if she helps end this war, you won't have a problem with Atlantis. The LEP can go back to Haven," Chiron said.

Commander Kelp had lost the argument, and he knew it. With a sigh, he said, "Okay, I'll leave it up to her. But I want both of them back alive."

It was a long shot, and he knew that too.

"If I could guarantee anyone's safety, I would. But I honestly can't. Not anymore than you can," Chiron said. His voice was calm, but his eyes showed immense worry.

*******

**Annabeth POV**

**Athena Cabin**

I read through at least half the books in my cabin before I came across an ancient scroll. I knew that I'd never seen it in this cabin before. Frowning at its sudden appearance, I picked it up and opened it. It had extremely fancy script.

_"From the desk of King Frond, the first elfin king. A history of the People and their creation._

_"I will start just after the Titan war, when Prometheus and Epimetheus were charged with creation of humans. The first attempt was disastrous, as it produced Trolls. Their second try did not serve much better. The order of their creations are as follows: Trolls, Goblins, Demons, Dwarves, Sprites, Pixies, Elves, Witches, and Humans." _

Frond? Who in Hades is Frond? I'd never heard of anyone with that name before. I started wondering if I had maybe I had picked up a crappy sci-fi novel instead.

I skimmed through paragraphs about trolls and goblins. Then this one caught my eye:

"_The king of gods, Zeus, was only too happy to force the great Titans to continue; he denied any being with the magical blue sparks in their blood. This was why the first warlock Demon was rejected, along with the flying Sprite. They paused for a while at the creation of the pixie. But once they saw how smart it was, they cast it into the fairy society."_

There was the mention of blue sparks. I continued reading. There was no specific mention of magic until I read about the elves. Their physical description—dark skin, auburn hair—fit Holly perfectly.

"_For Zeus loved the elves until he saw our magical ability. This drastically changed his opinion. Thanks to the power-hungry pixies, he feared we would overthrow Olympus. He did not understand the peaceful nature we used our healing spells and invisibility for. They feared we would synthesize a likeness to their poison with our magic and destroy them, for we did not respect them as we should." _

That really rang an alarm bell. Firstly, Juniper said that she had seen Holly using magic to heal Artemis. Secondly, on the night of Capture the Flag, Holly had used invisibility. She claimed it was that bracelet, but I doubt it. There was something a little off on her timing. Artemis knew that she could turn invisible, otherwise he wouldn't have paired her with me. So, Artemis was in on it. Whatever _it_ was. Artemis is definitely human though. If this whole thing is true, how did a human come to know of the People, as they called themselves? Did he find a similar scroll?

From the description of elves, Holly fit most of it, minus the pointed ears. Of course, if this supposed society was really that secretive, she would go undercover among humans to protect the secret. That posed the question of why she would be here. What drew her here? It possibly could have something to do with Belinda.

Another thing that bothered me was how it spoke of poison. Was there something that could harm—or even kill—the gods? Could the current problem on Olympus have something to do with it?

The scroll wasn't long, so I quickly reached the end. There was different handwriting on it. It wasn't nearly as fancy, but looked as if someone had quickly jotted a note down. To me, actually.

"_Annabeth, my name is Jana. I am the Roman goddess of secrets. I sent this scroll to you, because I believe you and Percy need to know about the People. They do not know that I have told you, and it would be best if they not. Holly Short is indeed one of the People—an elf, to be exact. Her ability to heal, mesmerize, turn invisible, and more will be a valuable asset to the cause. Though he himself is not Athena's child—his grandmother was—Artemis Fowl is a genius. He can also help you. Be sure to have them both on your team._

_I ask you to keep this race a secret from the mortals and other demigods, as it could bring about worse things than the Titan/Olympian war. _

_Good luck, Jana*"_

The door to my cabin opened, and Percy walked through. He looked grim.

"It's raining," he said. He wasn't wet. I wonder if that had something to do with his ocean powers.

I frowned.

"Percy, have you noticed something odd about Holly?" I asked.

"Not particularly. Why?" Percy replied, sitting down next to me. I scowled. This was going to make it a bit more difficult.

"Juniper and I both noticed something strange. Firstly, in capture the flag, she was able to turn invisible," I waved away the protest I knew he was going to make. "I know she passed it off as her bracelet, but if I remember correctly, she was wearing it when she was visible. The second thing happened this morning after Artemis got shot. Nobody was paying attention to him, because we were concerned about Belinda. But Juniper says she saw Holly rush over to him, and—this is the strange part—heal him with blue sparks. Not even the Apollo kids do that. Juniper asked them."

Percy frowned. "Now that I think about it, yeah. I think I know what you mean. I was dueling her the other day, and I accidently cut her with the sword. I could have sworn I saw a small blue spark. I thought it was just my imagination."

I shook my head. "No, Percy. Once I put all those clues together, I decided to do some research. And I found this." I gestured to the scroll.

Percy took and started reading. I watched his brow furrow as he was most likely reading about the elves.

"So, which is it? Is she an elf or a witch?" he finally asked.

"Did you see the note at the bottom?" I asked. Percy frowned. I moved closer and glanced at the parchment. The note had disappeared.

"Hmm. There was a note right here," I said, jabbing the paper for effect. "Anyway, she's an elf."

"Now what?" Percy asked.

"Well, there's not much to do, is there? If we try to question them, it won't work. And we need to keep the People a secret."

Percy frowned. "So, we just leave it?"

"I guess so," I said, starting to gather up the scroll.

[switching to 3rd person pov]

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. There was a tension in the air that neither could quite place.

"Annabeth, earlier today, when you were talking about Artemis and Holly, you weren't talking about them, were you?"

Annabeth turned away to put the scroll back on the shelf, where it promptly disappeared. "Obviously."

Percy stood up and made her look him in the eye by using his hand to tilt it towards him. "Then who were you talking about?"

Disappointment flooded her gray eyes. "Is it really that hard to figure out?"

Percy hesitated. He knew what he meant, or at least he thought he did. So why was he scared to ask? Percy suddenly became hyper-aware of tons of things: his hand under her chin, the way her gray eyes were glassy, the curls of blond hair cascading every which way.

"Does this have to do with Mt. St. Helens?" he asked, as the memory flashed in his mind.

Annabeth was getting annoyed. How stupid could Percy possibly be?

"Yes, it does," she said slowly in hopes he'd understand.

Of course, because the were on the verge of a major breakthrough in their relationship, the door just had to burst open. Nichole burst through, breathless and soaked. "Artemis—the goddess, not our brother—and the Hunters are here! Chiron wants to see you both in the Big House."

Percy and Annabeth looked surprised, and Percy barely remembered to step back from Annabeth. They both went out in the rain. Percy grabbed Annabeth to prevent her from getting soaked, and then ran off to the Big House to find Artemis and Holly, wrapped in blankets leaning against the wall, watching the goddess. The rest of the Hunters were very likely getting settled in the Artemis Cabin. Annabeth nudged Percy, who looked over to see that Holly and Artemis were holding hands. He was sadly surprised.

"Percy, Annabeth, just on time," Chiron said. Annabeth took her hand back from Percy; they sat down at the table. Holly glanced at Annabeth, who smirked after she saw Holly's wink. It had finally happened. _Now if only. . ._.Annabeth's thoughts scattered as Chiron spoke.

"Okay," Chiron said. "Now that everyone's here, we can begin. Lady Artemis, as always, it's a pleasure to have you and your Hunters at camp, but would you care to tell us why you need the refuge?"

Lady Artemis nodded and stood. "When is the last time you had contact with Olympus? Have you been aware of what has been going on this past week?"

"We haven't been able to reach anyone. Our connection is blocked," Chiron explained. "And that includes Mr. D."

"The Olympians have been disappearing one by one this past week. I'm afraid I may be the last one left, save for Hades and Poseidon. Poseidon has remained ignorant of the events; Atlantis is a major warzone. Hades is just ignoring us. The minor gods and goddesses have all disappeared, whether to join Kronos or not, I don't know. Apollo was taken yesterday, as fate would have it. I've heard rumors of something that is trapping the gods. Normally, I would have investigated, but I need to be sure my girls were safe. I have brought them here for protection," Lady Artemis explained. Wide eyes and masks of shock covered everyone's faces.

"How is this possible?" Percy asked.

"I think I have a clue. _Neco deus_. I believe they're using it against us," Lady Artemis said.

Chiron paled. "The amulet? You mean that they possibly have the amulet?"

She nodded. "They might. If they do, we're all in serious trouble."

"Wait, what amulet?" Percy asked.

"Back in the Titan/Olympian war, it was said that the Titan's made and used an amulet that held _Neco deus_. It's a poison that is capable of killing the gods. It's Latin and means 'to slay a god.' The stone literally traps the gods inside of it. It feeds off of their life forces, until they just disappear," Chiron explained.

"How is that possible?" Annabeth asked. "I've never come across a substance of such potency in my reading."

"Of course you haven't. The gods have kept this stuff a secret forever and a day. Only the Titans know about it, and now they might have used it against the gods," Chiron said.

"If this is poison to gods, can it do the same thing to demigods?" Annabeth asked.

It was a chilling thought.

"I don't know," Chiron said.

Lady Artemis glanced at Holly and Artemis. She was mostly looking at Holly, having decided to ignore the fact that a male shared her name. They were whispering about something. "You both have good ideas. Please share them with the rest of us."

Holly jumped. "We were just thinking. . ."

Artemis finished her sentence. "That you might need someone not directly related to the gods for this."

"And we may or may not have some suggestions."

Everyone glanced back and forth between the couple.

Annabeth smirked. "Do you two always finish each others sentences?"

Artemis and Holly glanced at each other and then away. "Once in a while," Artemis muttered.

"But only when we've been thinking the same thing," Holly said.

"Percy, I think it's time that you see your prophecy. Your sixteenth birthday is in two days," Chiron said.

Percy nodded.

Annabeth walked with him to the attic.

***

**Percy's POV**

We didn't spend much time in the attic. The scroll had been around the Oracle's neck the whole time, to my embarrassment.

Artemis and Holly wanted to leave, but Chiron insisted they stay.

"Go ahead and read it, Percy," Chiron said.

I opened the scroll with shaking fingers.

"_When a half-blood of the eldest gods," _I began, struggling through my dyslexia.

_"Has reached sixteen against all odds,_

_You know the time is right,_

_For the Titans' biggest fight,_

_An elf, a fairy, of Cupid's blood,_

_Her genius friend, a man of mud,_

_Together fight, becoming one_

_Shall turn tides before they're done.  
A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

_And be doomed to endless sleep._

_A mortal's choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze.**" _

The air seemed to have gotten colder, and several of the room's occupants shivered. This was the longest prophecy I'd ever heard. Annabeth would have none of this waiting around. She jumped right in.

"A half-blood of the eldest gods," Annabeth started, glancing over my shoulder. "Obviously you."

I nodded. Not ready for words.

"Titan's biggest fight is also clear. So, on your sixteenth birthday, the Titans and Olympians are going to fight," Annabeth continued. Even she looked a little pale.

"But only if we can release the Olympians, assuming they're in the amulet," Artemis added.

I nodded again. Still not ready.

"And I'm assuming that you all know who the next two lines are about," Lady Artemis said.

"Of course," I replied, gesturing to the wet couple leaning against the wall. "Artemis and Holly."

Everyone froze. The name thing hadn't come up until now, and I had a feeling that I'd just started something. I didn't dare look at the goddess, but I saw Holly smirking and trying not to laugh. Lady Artemis had frozen, with a scowl on her face. Artemis's face was blank. Tension made the air completely solid.

"I figured this was going to come up sometime," Artemis said.

"Obviously," Lady Artemis said. To say that she didn't look happy was a slightly mild understatement. The two eyed each other from across the room.

"It's just a name, Lady Artemis. It's quite common for two people to share the same name in this day and age. This case is just a tad above the ordinary circumstances. If other people can get past it, then surely we can," Artemis said.

Lady Artemis nodded ever so slightly. "If you are going to be named after me, you must do better at making me proud to share the same name. Perhaps this whole incident is a chance to prove yourself. Don't waste it."

Artemis gave his famous vampire grin. "I don't plan on it."

Holly touched Artemis's arm, giving him warning glances. Artemis turned to her, and the tension eased.

Lady Artemis sat back down. "Well then. Shall we continue?"

Chiron took over. "Right. Holly, I contacted Foaly and Commander Kelp. You have permission to stay."

Holly looked annoyed at this; she snorted. "Permission or not, I'm staying."

Chiron chuckled. "Foaly wasn't joking. You really don't listen to orders."

"Oh, I'm perfectly capable of following orders. I just do what I think is right," Holly replied with a shrug.

Lady Artemis shook her head. "It amazes me that a strong, independent woman like you suddenly decided that she needed a man to make her happy."

Holly shrugged. There really wasn't any response to that.

"So, basically, you two are going to fight and make a huge difference," I finally managed to say.

"What about the next one?" Annabeth asked. "'A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap and be doomed to endless sleep. A mortal's choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze.'"

A collective shudder ran around the room. That was the worst part of the prophecy and the most undecipherable. If they were talking about me, I was in serious trouble. . .

**End Notes: **I really hate to end it there, but it's more of a matter of "Do you want the chapter up or not?" Cuz if you do, it's ending here for now.

1. Jana is the roman goddess of secrets and secrecy. I couldn't find her Greek name anywhere, so if you know it, please let me know. Also, that part looks really cool in the font Rage Italic, which is what it was originally written in.

Valete,

Holly Marie Fowl 3


	11. Chapter 11

**Salvete.** I apologize for taking so long to update. : ( I really just do not have time. I only have a few chapters left. :' (

For those who haven't seen the latest PJO trailer, check it out here:

w w w . p e r c y j a c k s o n t h e m o v i e . c o m

and remember, it's just a pen!!!

**Disclaimer**: Sigh. Don't we all wish we owned Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson? Unfortunately, I am not one of the two lucky people in the world.

**Chapter 11**

**Atlantis**

Ninety percent of the time, if you walked—or swam, depending on your species—through Atlantis, you would see a variety of marine animals, merpeople, and water fairies. The pressure at that depth should crush the city and all its inhabitants, but Poseidon's power provides that safety. Most Atlanteans had even met the god himself.

That was just one section of the city, of course. Another part was water-free for the air-breathing tourists.

The current state of Atlantis, however, is a different story. If you walked through the streets of either part of town, you wouldn't see a soul. Not to mention that you'd probably be crushed by Oceanus, who had made it his prerogative to destroy the city. All shuttles to the deep sea city had been banned, unless they were ferrying properly clothed LEP officers. Commander Kelp was sending reinforcements, dressed in pressurized suits, air tanks, and helmets—all Foaly's design, of course.

Much to his disappointment, Grub Kelp was among one of these teams.

"But Trubs, you even said yourself: it's dangerous," Grub had complained to his brother. "And mommy said—"

"I know what mommy said," the commander had replied. "But only a couple of officers can afford to stay behind. You're not one of them. Even I'm going."

Grub frowned, but he knew he didn't have a choice.

"Look, Grub, I'll try to protect you as best I can. Just try to be careful."

Grub had nodded.

The shuttle doors opened, jolting Grub out of his memories. They had arrived.

LEP officers strapped on their helmets, preparing for battle. Some were excited at the prospect of fighting the Titan, while others were just praying to Frond that they'd get home safely.

Commander Kelp punched Grub's shoulder. "You ready for this?"

Grub gulped. "Nope."

"Nobody ever is," the commander replied.

Together, the brothers joined the other LEP officers and stepped out into the chaos. . .

* * *

**New York City**

The mood was grim, to say the least. The slightly mismatched group of six were huddled together in the van. The city lights flashed through the windows. Sleazy advertisements promised money and happiness, two things that wouldn't exist if the Titans had their way. Nothing would exist if they had their way.

Artemis glanced at Holly's hardened face and touched her arm lightly. Holly looked up and smiled briefly. They held each others hands tightly.

**Earlier**

**Camp Half-Blood**

"This is your brilliant plan?!" Holly exclaimed. The room's occupants heads bounced back and forth between the couple, as if watching a tennis match.

"Holly, this is the best course of action," Artemis said. "I considered three others."

"Like?"

"It doesn't matter. This is the best solution."

"You didn't consider any other options, did you?"  
"I did."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"Because almost all of them end in death!" Artemis said. Holly flinched back at his harsh tone. "Holly," Artemis continued with a softer tone; he placed his hands on her shoulders. "It comes down to this. Do you trust me? Do you trust me to get you—us—out of this mess?"

There was a pregnant pause as everyone waited for her to answer. Even Chiron and Lady Artemis were watching their argument with interest.

"Of course I trust you Arty," she said, accidently using his pet name. "I just don't want to loose anyone else." Her voice was down to a whisper, and everyone had to strain to hear it.

"This is better than a soap opera," Percy commented in Annabeth's ear.

Annabeth smirked and nodded.

Silena finally butt in to Artemis and Holly's conversation. "While you're at it, you might as well kiss."

This broke the corny scene. They both rolled their eyes. Holly sat down.

"So, when were you planning on telling us you were dating?" Silena casually continued.

Eyes popped.

Artemis chuckled. "Are we really that obvious?"

"No," half a dozen voices chorused.

"Yes," Silena said simultaneously. "Well, you are to an Aphrodite girl."

Holly started laughing. "Very good. I was wondering if you were going to pick up on that."

"As was I," Artemis said.

"Can you possibly talk about this later?" Lady Artemis asked, rolling her eyes and looking annoyed.

Several people apologized.

"Right then," Artemis said. "Are we all set?"

Everyone seemed to agree. The small team of five chosen for the reconnaissance mission began getting ready to go, only to be delayed by an unexpected visitor. . .

Percy, Annabeth, Artemis, Holly, and Thalia were talking in the empty amphitheater. A lot of the chatter was meaningless, only existing to take their mind off of the looming task.

"Well, at least I'm not named after a female goddess," Percy said, after being thoroughly teased about the nickname, 'Seaweed Brain.'

"Ouch," Thalia said, between giggles.

Artemis did his best to look insulted, but in truth, he was actually having a good time. "Well, on that note, I'll just be leaving." He stood up to leave, but Holly grabbed his jacket and pulled him back down.

"Aw, come on, Arty, you know we still like you," she said.

"Some more than others," Annabeth pointed out, looking pointedly at Holly.

"Well, at least we can see what's there," Holly said.

Annabeth blushed when she caught the meaning. Percy looked confused, as always.

"Yet you didn't see me," Nico said, appearing out of nowhere next to Percy. His black hair was just as messy as normal, and his brown eyes had bags under them. His olive skin was paler than it should have been. He looked like he'd been to the Underworld and back, but then again, he probably had. Everyone jumped. Holly's hand went to her waist, where her Neutrino usually was. Her hand grasped at air, and she realized how bad that habit was.

"Who are you?" Holly and Artemis said, simultaneously, while Percy and Annabeth were greeting him more or less enthusiastically.

"Nico di Angelo, and you are. . .?" Nico replied.

"I'm Artemis Fowl, and this is Holly Short," Artemis said, extending a hand.

Nico gave the hand a weird look, but shook it anyways.

Holly rolled her eyes. "I can introduce myself, you know."

Nico laughed. "So you can."

"So, what are you doing in Camp Half-Blood?" Annabeth asked.

Nico became serious. "Percy, do you remember the theory I told you earlier this summer?"

Percy nodded.

"It's confirmed," Nico said, ominously.

"What's confirmed?" Annabeth asked.

"I had a theory earlier that Luke, er, Kronos, pulled an Achilles," Nico said, refusing to elaborate.

"You mean you think that Kronos made Luke's body immortal in the River Styx?" Annabeth choked out.

Nico nodded nervously. Annabeth looked upset, and he didn't want to make it worse. Percy furtively took Annabeth's hand under the table. The whole Luke topic was still a little sensitive, though she seemed not to react as much.

"And you say this has been confirmed?" Percy asked.

Nico nodded once again.

"How?" Artemis asked.

Nico shrugged, as if Artemis had just asked his favorite flavor of ice cream. "Just talked to a couple of witnesses in the Underworld."

Holly got a strange look on her face, like she was choking. "The Underworld?"

"Oh, yeah," Percy said. "Nico is a child of Hades."

Thalia, who had been staring at their pile of bags blankly, looked up. By this point, Percy and Annabeth had forgotten that they were holding hands under the table.

"So, what do we do?" he asked. "If Kronos's body is now immortal, how are we supposed to defeat him?"

"What about Achilles' heel?" Artemis asked. "He must have at least one weak spot."

"Yeah, but finding it is like finding a needle in a haystack," Nico said.

"So optimistic," Thalia said.

Nico opened his mouth to retort, but he spotted Chiron on his way to the pavilion. "I've got to run. I'll see you guys later."

"Wait-" Percy said, but Nico had already dissolved into the shadows.

"How did he do that?" Holly asked.

"Being a Hades kid, he has certain abilities. That is apparently one of them," Annabeth explained hurriedly.

Holly and Artemis both nodded quickly. Chiron was walking towards the amphitheater. He saw the solemn group sitting on the ground floor and the pile of bags next to them. He tried to summon up reassuring word, but the just wouldn't come.

"Are you ready?" he asked, when he was in earshot.

Percy stood up. "No." He grabbed his bag and Annabeth's bag. Annabeth stood up and took her bag from him. Together, they began walking towards Half-Blood Hill.

Holly watched them go, sadly. She shook her head. "Wow," she mumbled. "Were we ever like that?"

Artemis turned to watch the pair walking to the hill. "Probably."

They grabbed their bags and followed Annabeth and Percy. Thalia watched them go, strapping her bag on around her quiver arrows.

"I feel like I'm missing something," she commented to Chiron.

Chiron laughed. "You probably are. _Bona Fortuna,_ Thalia."

Thalia looked at him when she heard the Latin phrase. "Thanks Chiron. We'll need it."

She followed suit of the four heroes ahead of her, running to catch up.

Chiron watched them go and prayed to the gods that they would all be alright. _Plus,_ he thought_. If they all live, I won't have Foaly or Commander Kelp on my tail. _This thought was just a joke, to attempt to hide his anxiety over the children's safety.

**End Notes: **Okay, so that's it. I will try to have the next chapter up ASAP. It is already mostly written; I'd just like to flesh it out more. As always, you know what to do: review. : ) Thanks.

Oh! I almost forget. _Bona Fortuna_ = Good Luck. I apologize for all the Latin usage. . .(looks guilty)

**Valete,**

HMF


	12. Chapter 12

**Salvete.** Here is the huge action scene! Enjoy! (well, okay, it's half of it)

Just to let you know, I spent two hours on this on Thanksgiving, and more on other Thanksgiving break days. I'm updating way early to apologize for the long break. I'm so sorry for not updating for that long, and I really hope I've kept most of my readers. I hope you like it. (crosses fingers)

**Disclaimer:** Do we have to go through this every week? I don't own this. You don't own this (unless Eoin Colfer or Rick Riordan is reading this. Doubtful.) Just build a bridge and get over it. Then blow it up like they did in _Anna and the King_. . .

**Chapter 12**

**Atlantis**

Trouble leaned out from behind the building and fired. He quickly ducked back, but not before a loud cry was heard. That was the first celestial bronze bullet to hit Oceanus. It was needless to say that Trouble was at least a little proud of that.

Then the heavy current streamed through his area, knocking him off of his feet and making him dizzy. It stopped so suddenly that Trouble didn't even have time to blink. He scrambled around to try to face the Titan, who had drawn him out into the middle of the road. He needn't have worried. Poseidon was wrestling with Oceanus. They were gripping each other's arms. Both were at full size, and this caused many buildings to crumble.

Trouble smirked. An open oppurtunity. He bent down on one knee and shot Oceanus right in the leg. Oceanus roared and stumbled, which provided Poseidon with the oppurtunity to punch Oceanus. The punch freed Poseidon from Oceanus's grip. Poseidon grabbed his trident and sent a stream of pure energy straight at Oceanus. The energy blasted into Oceanus, who went diagnally up to the surface, ironically knocking over the _Andromeda_. The _Andromeda_ tipped over and countless monsters spilled into the ocean. Oceanus thrashed and gold dust littered the ocean. Only a small band of monsters remained.

Loud cheers interrupted through the ranks of LEP officers. This was the closest thing they'd had to good news all day. Trouble and Grub Kelp had arrived at least four hours ago, and still the hazardous fighting continued. Trouble had seen more of his fairies crushed then he could count. The LEP was going to heavily suffer from this fight, and everyone knew it.

Oceanus turned and began swimming back to Atlantis. His eyes searched the ocean floor, searching for the LEP officer that had shot him twice. LEP officers ducked back into hiding. One small victory had occurred, but the war was not yet over.

* * *

**The Empire State Building**

The elevator music was far too cheerful. Finding no security guard was bad enough, but to add to that, the keys to the elevator were sitting on the desk. Percy had glumly lifted the keys off the counter. The small group followed him to the elevator. Six hundred floors later, the bell dinged, and they cautiously stepped out. They were prepared for anything. Well, almost anything. . .

Normally, from the elevator, you can see multiple parties on Olympus. You could almost see the minor gods having fun. You could see the throne room, which looked like the Parthenon on the outside. Inside, twelve thrones occupied the space in a U-shape.

Today, however, the whole mountain was dark. The only lights that led you to believe there even was a mountain were coming from the throne room. Even Artemis and Holly—who had never seen Olympus before—could tell that there was something seriously wrong.

A voice interrupted their thoughts. It was an empousa. "Well, now, what do we have here?"

Everyone whirled to face the monster. Percy rolled his eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered.

The empousa continued. "Two demigods, one of Artemis's Hunters, a fairy, and a human. Strange."

Artemis couldn't see the monster beneath the woman. Holly realized this and stepped in front of him, drawing her sword. "Stay back," she murmured to him in Gnommish.

Artemis was certainly confused, but he trusted Holly enough to know when to stay back.

Percy was immune to her fake beauty, having seen the monster beneath. He drew swords with Annabeth.

Thalia decided to try a more diplomatic approach. "You do realize what will happen if you try to harm one of Artemis's Hunters, right?"

The empousa--who appeared to be Kelli-- rolled her eyes. "Maybe, if she wasn't sitting in Julia's amulet right now."

That sentence was a goldmine of information for everyone, not just Artemis. She had just flat out admitted that the Titans had control of the most dangerous substance on earth—well, dangerous to the gods, anyway.

"Five against one, that's hardly fair. How about we. . .even the odds?" Kelli continued, advancing on the group. The group of five didn't hear the demigod sneak up behind them and grab Artemis around the neck. "Thank you, Ethan."

Holly whirled around to see her friend being choked by Ethan, who also held a knife to Artemis's throat. She angrily moved towards them. Ethan began to cut the knife into Artemis's throat. A tiny, ruby-red drop of blood rolled down his neck. "Stay back, fairy, you don't want your precious friend to die, would you?"

Holly froze in her spot and glowered at the demigod.

The empousa saw Holly's distraction and attacked. She lunged for Holly, who was not paying attention to Kelli. Percy reacted fast and blocked her way.

"You want to fight again, Perseus? I believe we have a score to settle," Kelli said, calmly.

Percy rolled his eyes and kept Riptide pointed at her. "Yes, I think we do." That being said, he lunged at her heart. Kelli jumped back, and Thalia joined in the fight.

Annabeth took advantage of the turmoil. She noticed Ethan was solely focused on Holly; he wouldn't notice if Annabeth suddenly disappeared. Annabeth put on the hat. She snuck around behind Ethan and used the hilt of her dagger to knock him out. The sudden release of pressure on Artemis's throat made him gasp for air. He stumbled forward as Ethan slumped to the ground. Holly quickly supported Artemis to prevent him from falling over.

Annabeth took off her hat. "You can thank me later."

Kelli saw her comrade fall and looked in his direction. Percy didn't need an invitation; he plunged Riptide into her heart. Golden dust filled the air and coated their clothes.

"Lovely," Thalia commented.

"Let's get out of here," Annabeth said, wasting no time with congratulations. "Who knows what else is hanging around?"

With a nod of agreement, the group of five started up Mt. Olympus. Artemis, whom still hadn't quite caught his breath, was walking in the back with Holly.

"Tell me," he wheezed. "What was that thing?"

Percy heard the question and answered for her. "It was an empousa. She's basically a vampire, but a whole lot uglier than you mortals make them out to be."

Artemis nodded, though he had only seen Kelli's true form in the brief second before she had turned to dust at Percy's sword.

Annabeth motioned for everyone to shut up and get out their swords. They were approaching the throne room. Only the gods knew what lay inside, though that might not be so true anymore. Holly's LEPrecon training kicked in, and she motioned for everyone to stay still. Shielding, she moved towards one of the pillars and leaned around to look in. She was baffled by what she saw. Two teenage girls were lounging on different thrones. One had dark black hair and olive skin. She was watching a girl next to her. The one next to her was extremely pale and had golden hair that was pulled back into a tight braid. Her eyes were closed, as if she had a migraine. On her neck was a huge amulet. It had a dark black stone in the middle that seemed to pulse with power. This was clearly _Neco deus_. Holly's eyes widened, and she returned to the group. She unshielded. One glance at her face clearly told the others what the needed to know.

Suddenly, a shout came from inside the throne room. Everyone peeked in from the shadows. It was the pale girl. She was sitting up, looking directly at them, and her eyes were wide. They were a strange neon green.

The girl next to her spoke. "What is it? Julia?"

Julia was shaking. "Intruders. There are intruders on Mt. Olympus."

"Chillax, Kelli and Ethan will handle it."

Julia shook her head and stood up. She stumbled as did, and the other girl caught her.

"Where are you going?"

Julia ignored the girl. "Come on in," she called. "I know you're out there! There's no use hiding!"

Her voice seemed different: almost ice-cold.

"Stop hiding, Perseus. You knew you would have to face me eventually," Julia said.

Olivia backed away slowly. This was not her close friend. It was Kronos.

Percy, still outside, stood up slowly. He walked through the pillars.

"Really, Kronos? Taking over a young girl's body? Face me yourself!" Percy yelled angrily.

Julia's body slumped to the ground and smoke poured out from it. A man's shape formed and flickered. It looked like Kronos's real form then vaguely resembled Luke. He wasn't completely there; he was just a really real ghost.

The inhuman combination slowly walked towards Percy, who raised Riptide.

Kronos/Luke smirked. "You really think you can beat me with that piece of junk metal?"

"I don't need to. This isn't you; it's just a shadow of you come to distract me while your army advances," Percy said.

Kronos/Luke opened his mouth to say something, but the suddenly he looked away. His mouth fell open and the shadow disappeared as if washed away by a huge wave. Something must have happened to the _Andromeda_.

Olivia was crouched over Julia. "What did you do to her?!"

Percy was shocked at her tone. This girl actually thought he had been the one to cause Julia to collapse.

"YOU!" an enraged scream yelled. Thalia stepped out from the shadows, with an arrow cocked.

Olivia recognized the girl and went pale. She suddenly regretted her poor fashion choice for this occasion.

Thalia approached at an alarming rate. "Get up," she hissed.

Olivia stood up with her arms raised.

"Thalia, what are you doing?" Percy asked.

Motioning with her bow, Thalia spoke. "This traitor deserted the Hunters about a month ago. This was after we discovered her selling secrets to Kronos. Artemis was supposed to turn her into a boar, but Olivia escaped before it was possible. Now I see she's returned to her master."

"Returned? I was never fully with Artemis, and I'm frankly surprised she thought I was. Ha! That foolish goddess! Protecting her 'friends!'" Olivia said. She rolled her eyes and did some accompanying motions to add effect to it.

A arrow ran through her side a moment later, and Olivia was down on her knees, clutching her side. The arrow had only scraped her side, not lodged in it. Thalia had a horrified look on her face. She shook her head in disbelief at what she had just done.

Holly stepped into the room and shot a blast from her Neutrino. Olivia slumped to the ground, unconscious. Holly professionally walked over and healed the scrape on Olivia's side. Afterwards, she picked the girl up and moved her to lean against one of the thrones.

Artemis, who had decided to come into the room along with Annabeth, raised an eyebrow. "Holly, where did you keep that?"

Holly tried to look innocent, but her smirk gave her away. "You don't want to know, Arty."

Julia choose this moment to wake up. Her eyes widened when she saw the room's occupants. She nimbly jumped to her feet and pulled a sword from her belt. "Get back."

"Julia, right?" Percy asked, taking a step towards her.

Julia felt threatened by this and lunged with her sword. Percy blocked with Riptide, but gently.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Percy continued. Julia tried another move. Percy gently fought her off again. "Do you really want to fight?"

Julia ignored him and jabbed at his side.

Percy parried. "I'm going to take that as a yes, too. Are you really happy working with Kronos? You know what he just did. He took over your body to get to us. He won't hesitate to put you in danger."

A loud blast came from outside the throne room. Holly jogged over. One kid was quickly climbing the mountain. He looked furious and slightly wet. A small parade of wet monsters followed him. "It's Kronos!"

Annabeth, Thalia, and Artemis looked slightly panicked. They joined Holly at the pillar and ignored Percy's fight with Julia. Artemis quickly planned defensive maneuvers.

"Enough playing," Percy said, as he knocked the sword from Julia's hand. He pinned her against the base of Poseidon's throne, using the tip of Riptide. Julia looked into his eyes. "Look, I don't want to kill you. I really don't. You've been lied to and tricked, Julia. Kronos doesn't care squat about his minions. He will dump you the first chance he gets."

Julia shook her head. "No. He needs me. He needs the amulet."

"And what do you think he's going to do with you once he gets it? Set all the gods free? Doubtful. Listen to me. You have a choice: set the gods free the only way you know how or work for Kronos for the rest of your life. Do you really want that? Do you want to see the world destroyed? What about your parents and mortal friends? Would you risk their lives for your own safety?"

Julia was silent for too long. Kronos was standing at the door. His minions were sweeping in to kill them, but Percy couldn't concentrate on that now. His worry was that Julia wouldn't choose in the time it would take Kronos to cross the room and knock him away. He heard clashing swords and wished he could help his friends. Time was slowing down, due to Kronos's powers. The air felt like water and not in a good way.

Julia never answered. She reached up to pull the amulet off. Percy watched suspiciously just in case she threw it. Kronos was now running across the room, but he was too late. Julia had let the chain slip through her fingers.

The shattering _Neco Deus_ echoed through the room with Kronos's protestant shout. Another quieter sound came through the noise: it was the sound of Annabeth's opponent plunging his sword into her. Golden smoke filled the room as the pissed-off Olympians were slowly released.

**End Notes: **(hides behind Muse) Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! Just yell at me over a review and tell me how much you want an update. : ) Don't worry, I have the next chapter written, so no delays there. It'll be up soon.

**Valete,**

Holly Marie Fowl & Athena


	13. Chapter 13

**Salvete. **I promised a short wait, so here it is. I only have one more chapter after this. (sobs)

On a side note, how many have read Silence of the Lambs or watched the movie? I'm just reading the book now, but I've seen the movie. It really is quite addicting. . .

**Disclaimer:** Um, no. Still no.

**Chapter 13**

**Mt. Olympus**

Everyone in the room froze to watch the golden tendrils of smoke fill the room. With a rush, wind blew from the _Neco deus,_ and Olympians were released one by one. Himerus came first. Then another, then another. Apart from this, a glowing white spot appeared in the center in the room. The form solidified into Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Thalia must have gotten word to her somehow.

Zeus retrieved his master lightning bolt; Kronos backed away into the night. Most of the Olympians followed him in hot pursuit. A precious few stayed behind to help the half-bloods.

Finally the silence broke and chaos continued. Percy instinctively looked to his right to see Annabeth lying on the floor, left for dead by her opponent. She was gasping and barely holding onto life. Percy looked between Julia and Annabeth, trying to decide. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Holly and Artemis fighting back to back, surrounded by multiple monsters and demigods. Gold dust piled on the floor and coated their clothes. Thalia was rapidly shooting silver arrows into the crowd of monsters. She never missed. Lady Artemis had just joined Thalia in this. They seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Julia saw who he was looking at and knocked his sword away gently with her hand. "Thank you," she cried, and slipped into the chaos to find Olivia. Percy watched her go for a second and noticed gold dust rise around her as well.

Percy figured that Julia could take care of herself; he ran over to Annabeth. He picked her up gently and pulled her over behind Poseidon's throne.

Annabeth coughed, and a drop of blood rolled down her chin. She gasped for breath.

Percy held her close. "Please, stay with me. You can make it. You're strong. We've been through worse."

Annabeth's eyes filled with tears at his tone. Percy felt himself coming close to crying himself.

"No, Percy," Annabeth said, as much as it pained her to say this—literally and metaphorically. "Not this time."

A tear rolled down Percy's cheek.

Annabeth gasped and winced as his hold accidently tightened. Though it felt like water was resisting her every move and was pressing her down, she lifted her hand to his cheek.

"You did a good thing. You saved her life."

"I'm such a moron," Percy suddenly realized. His eyes widened as he saw the look in Annabeth's eyes. She decided not to speak, if only to get more time with Percy. "You've been in love with me this whole time."

A minute nod from Annabeth.

"And I've. . .felt the same," he muttered. "That's what you were trying to hint at earlier."

"Yes," Annabeth said weakly.

Suddenly, a figure came around to the back of Poseidon's throne. He was clearly an elf, and his resemblance to Holly was remarkable. He grinned at Percy, who was still holding Annabeth in his arms.

"Tell me something, Perseus," the man said, almost casually. "What would you do to save this young lady's life?"

"Anything," Percy replied, a tad too quickly.

The man grinned. "Good answer. Are you really so sure?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Eros."

Percy didn't have time to be surprised. "How can I save her? Please."

"I'll make you a deal: I save her now, and you owe me something. I'll collect your debt later." The man winked and vanished in a flurry of blue sparks. The sparks turned and sank into Annabeth's wounds. She was wrapped in a cocoon of blinding blue light. Percy looked away as the cocoon dragged her out of his arms. In the blink of an eye, the sparks vanished, and Annabeth's body sank to the floor. Percy scrambled over to her. Her back was facing away from him. Percy hesitated to turn her over, but curiosity won in the end. Annabeth's eyes were squeezed shut.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked.

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up shakily. She refused to be hugged, for she had caught sight of Luke/Kronos entering the throne room again. He had tricked the gods.

* * *

**Percy's POV**

We skirted to the front of the thrones and merged into the chaos. As we worked our way to the crowd, gold dust began to coat our clothes. Correction, they coated my clothes; Annabeth's clothes were pretty much solid gold right now. We stabbed some monsters on our way through. That was when we ran right into Julia.

"Oh good," she said. "You're okay." She paused to stab another monster's heart. Her clothes were almost gold by now.

"Julia," I began. "Do you know Kronos's Achilles heel?"

Julia frowned. She brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. "Yes. I think so."

"What is it?"  
"His left wrist," she said.

"Thank you!" I said. I looked around for Annabeth and saw her in neck-to-neck combat with a pale demigod. Artemis and Holly were kicking butt across the room, and Thalia was crouched with Lady Artemis behind two large thrones. They were shooting silver arrows into the crowd still; not one arrow strayed from its target. A strangled cry sounded from behind me. In the split second it took me to look, gold dust erupted and poured on me. I coughed to get it out of my mouth. Julia was standing, smirking, with a sword where a monster must have been seconds ago.

"You're welcome! I think we're even," she said.

"I think so."

"If you want help defeating Kronos, just ask," Julia said. That being said, she turned and stumbled into combat with another monster. It dissolved into golden dust within seconds. This mortal was a really good fighter. She also probably knew Kronos's fighting moves, having worked for him.

I smiled and tapped her arm. "I hate to bug you, but I think I could use your help."

"Obviously!"

Together, we fought our way across the room. By the time we reached Kronos, he was yelling at my old friend the minotaur.

"You get your act together and kill that couple!"

The minotaur let out a series of grunts to show that he was confused.

"The fairy and the human standing over there coated in gold dust. Now go!" he yelled.

The minotaur shrugged and charged towards Holly and Artemis. I watched him go, scowling. When I turned back, Julia was already confronting him. I moved forward to help her out but Ethan was suddenly in front of me. He lunged to put his sword in my chest, and I flicked his sword aside lazily with Riptide. He didn't loose control of his sword. Instead he used the rebound to attack me again. I wasn't prepared this time and got cut in the arm for my troubles. As we fought, I could hear Julia bantering with Kronos/Luke.

"Pick on someone your own size," she said, glaring at him.

Kronos bristled with anger. "Which is obviously not you," he said, referring to their obvious height difference. "Julia, what happened? I thought we had a deal."

Julia smiled smoothly and moved her sword in a fluent movement. It was too fast for me to follow, but Kronos already had his scythe up in a parry. "Not anymore."

"Don't try to fight me, girly. I could kill you in a split second," Kronos spat.

"If you really wanted to, you would have already," Julia replied, jabbing at him again. She was annoying him; she wasn't really fighting. "Tell me something. Is that body you're using really all that willing?"

A shudder went through Kronos's body as Luke tried to take control. When he spoke again, the tone sounded more like the teenager I knew. "Move fast Julia. You know the spot."

Another shudder and Kronos was back. He parried Julia's real attempt at sticking him through the wrist. That was when he caught sight of me battling Ethan.

"What are you doing, Perseus? Battling a demigod when you could be fighting me and saving her? Are you going to let a woman fight your battles for you?" Kronos cried.

Julia's eyes became furious. She moved fast enough that Kronos didn't catch it. She knocked the scythe from his hand and plunged her sword through his left wrist. "Wow. Killed by making time to say some sextist comment. That is so typical of men."

She let go of the sword and kicked him in the chest. Kronos/Luke fell over. He was still alive, but he was writhing in pain. All of a sudden, the body stopped thrashing. Luke's mouth fell open, and black smoke poured out of it. A little girl was suddenly there, funneling the smoke into a small glass bottle. Finally, Luke's mouth closed again, and he was dead. The girl stood up and flicked the bottle. A ringing sound echoed for a moment. "Well," she said. "I suppose there is some truth to _Aladdin,_ huh?"

This was when we noticed that all of the monsters were gone. The demigods loyal to Kronos were all either dead or unconscious. The room was completely gold. I noticed Holly healing Artemis, who was on the ground.

The girl smiled at my confused face. "Hestia, Perseus. I'm Hestia. Now excuse me. I believe we have to call the gods back to Olympus."

Hestia put the bottle in her belt and walked from the room. Once she was past the throne room, she dissolved into fiery sparks.

**End Notes:** Well, that was unexpected! I thought Percy was going to kill Kronos. Hmm. Those stupid characters do whatever they want to. (shakes head) Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! I only have (pause; checks plot-board) one more chapter left! Whoo-hoo!

**Valete,**

Holly Marie Fowl & Athena


	14. Chapter 14

**Salvete. **(sniffle, sniffle, sob, sob) This is the last chapter. I hope you like it. If anyone is looking for a book/movie suggestion, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal by Thomas Harris are both superb, if a little creepy. (And frankly, I think that Anthony Hopkins deserves a metal for his acting in them.)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson.

**Chapter 14**

After Kronos was killed, everything was chaos. The major gods were taking their thrones; the minor gods were trying to clean up; the demigods were just celebrating that they were alive. Hestia was working with a couple of the minor gods in carting away bodies of dead demigods.

Percy, Annabeth, Holly, Artemis, Thalia, and Julia were sitting by the wall. Julia was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin, thinking. Thalia was wiping the blood off of her arrows. Holly and Artemis were whispering a little ways away from the group. They seemed fairly upset about something. Annabeth was just leaning against Percy resting her eyes—i.e., napping. All were waiting for the Olympians to begin a meeting.

Finally, the floor was cleared of dust and bodies. All the gods had taken their thrones. The minor gods, and Hestia, were milling about outside of the pillars, prepared to eavesdrop.

"I now call to order a meeting!" Zeus called. The demigods and mortals (and a fairy) all stood up and approached the center of the room. "Julia Allen, step forward."

Julia did so with wide eyes.

"You imprisoned us all in this amulet and aided Kronos with an attempted takeover of Mt. Olympus. Do you admit to this?" Zeus said.

Julia nodded. She hung her head, and her eyes were shut.

"You understand why we need to punish you," Zeus continued, glaring at the mortal before him.

The group of five behind her gaped with wide eyes.

"But Father, she killed Kronos and set you free!" Thalia cried out.

"Not now, Thalia," Zeus said.

"Sir," Artemis said stepping forward. "May I say something?"  
Holly's eyes went wide. "Artemis," she hissed.

"I suppose, mortal."

"Julia was seduced by Kronos's wickedness. She didn't really understand what she was dealing with. Yes, she imprisoned you. Yes, she worked with Kronos. Julia deserves a second chance; everyone does. She made a mistake. Believe me, I know what it's like," Artemis said.

Lady Artemis smiled. Perhaps Artemis Fowl could bear her name properly. Perhaps he wasn't some dumb male.

Zeus scowled and was about to speak, but Lady Artemis cleared her throat. Zeus turned to look at her.

"Father," she said, standing up and going to Julia's side. Artemis Fowl took a step back to his girlfriend. "I will vouch for her if you give her a second chance. Her heart is pure, now that she has rid herself of the evil. Let her join my Hunters, if only temporarily, and prove herself."

Julia looked up gratefully at Lady Artemis's offer.

Zeus thought for a moment. "Let us draw this matter to a vote. Who votes to let this mortal do as Artemis suggests?"

Had Ares and Zeus voted yes, it would have been unanimous.

"Well then," Zeus said. "Julia, would you do as Artemis says?"

Julia thought for a moment. "Yes. I will."

Thalia grinned as Lady Artemis went back to her throne. Thalia put an arm around her newest sister and they both went to stand beside Artemis.

"One matter is solved," Zeus said. He turned to the remaining four. "There is still another to address. Holly Short, Artemis Fowl, step forward."

They both did so.

"Aphrodite has kindly pointed out your predicament. You have both done Olympus the kind favor of fighting for us."

Aphrodite was smirking in her throne.

"Aphrodite has nominated you both to become minor gods."

Holly's mouth fell open, and her eyes were wide. Artemis blinked, but that was the only surprise he showed.

"The Olympians, including myself, have agreed to do it, if you accept," Zeus said.

Aphrodite spoke up. "Allow me to explain my reasoning. If you are transformed into minor gods, you can go back to your regular lives. But both of you will be able to change your species or transport anywhere instantly. Your age difference will cease to matter and your lifespan will be equal. I believe you will find that you will not be able to be together any other way."

Holly and Artemis looked at each other.

"We will give you some time to think it over, if you like," Aphrodite continued.

Artemis whispered something in Holly's ear. She nodded. They turned back to the Olympians.

"We accept," Artemis said.

Aphrodite smiled warmly. "Fantastic."

Athena now spoke up. "Artemis, you will be god of science and technology. Holly, you will be goddess of mediation, and on a smaller, discreet level, you will represent the People in our court should we call you."

They both nodded, thanked the gods, and stepped back.

"Perseus, Annabeth, it's your turn," Zeus said.

Percy and Annabeth both stepped forward, holding hands.

"Father, allow me," Athena said.

Zeus nodded. "Of course."

"Percy, what you did for this young woman"—here she paused and gestured to Julia—"was remarkable. You saved her life and gave her a chance. I'm sure if your father was here, he would be proud. But, you have also promised Cupid a favor. Don't forget that."

Percy nodded.

"Annabeth, my daughter, I am extremely proud of you."

"Thank you, Mother."

"The Council has decided to offer you both godship as well," Athena continued.

"Could you give us a moment?" Percy asked.

Athena nodded.

Percy and Annabeth bent their heads together and whispered for a moment. They seemed to come to an agreement and turned to face the Olympians.

"We have decided to remain mortal," Annabeth said.

Athena may have looked disappointed, but that could have been a trick of the light.

"We respect your decision," Zeus said.

A minor god ran in and whispered in Dionysus's ear. Dionysus nodded and smiled. The minor god ran back out. "I believe it is time we celebrated the end of this war!"

And so the partying began. . .

* * *

**Atlantis**

Another building collapsed, and Commander Kelp heard someone yell. He would have counted his men had he been able to find all of them. A wound in his shoulder was driving him insane, but he didn't have the magic left to heal it. He peeked around the corner of the building he was hiding behind. A noise behind him made him jump. He turned to face the possible threat only to find his own brother. Trouble sighed in relief. "Good, you're okay."

"Yeah. I thought I'd lost you!" Grub said.

"Same here."

Trouble looked around again, and what he saw astounded him. "Grub, come here."

Both brothers looked around. Glowing white lights were surrounding Oceanus, tying him up with white hot ropes. Oceanus couldn't escape.

"Zeus," both brothers said in awe. Other LEP officers were coming out of their shelters and standing in the street, watching the spectacle.

Trouble said, "Holly and Fowl must have defeated Kronos. Unbelievable."

Grub nodded. He couldn't quite speak yet.

Finally, Oceanus was bound. The ropes squeezed him into dust. A girl appeared and trapped the dust into a bottle. Zeus materialized next to her. They both smiled at Poseidon and disappeared.

Five seconds of silence before the cheering started. The Olympians had won!

* * *

**New York City—outside the Empire State Building**

Holly and Annabeth hugged.

"Good luck," Holly said, smiling as she pulled away.

"To you too," Annabeth said.

"So are you and Percy finally. . .?"

"Yes, I think so."

Both girls looked over to where Percy and Artemis were talking.

"Thanks for you help, Holly," Annabeth said.

"You're welcome."

They walked over to their boyfriends.

"Well, Percy, it was nice meeting you both," Holly said. She held Artemis's hand now.

"Ditto."

An awkward silence.

"How are you going to get home?" Percy asked.

"Well, Hestia told us that we could fly without wings, so we were going to try that out," Holly said.

"Congratulations, again," Annabeth said.

Argus honked the horn.

"We have to go," Percy said. "Bye."

"Good-bye," Holly and Artemis said in unison.

Annabeth waved and they both got in the van. Thalia was staying with Artemis the goddess and Julia.

Annabeth smiled at Percy. "Did you really mean what you said back there? When I was dying?"

"Yes, I did," Percy said.

He leaned forward to kiss her, but she put a finger on his lips for a moment.

"Happy Birthday."

Percy thought a moment to calculate what the date was. It was August 18th and definitely his birthday.

"Thank you," he whispered against her finger.

Annabeth removed her finger and kissed him.

Argus rolled his many eyes.

* * *

When Artemis Fowl and Holly Short touched down in Tara, they were greeted by Commander Kelp and the press.

"You did it. Both of you. I can't believe it," Trouble said, shaking his head. He looked back and forth between the two comrades. "I'll let you say good-bye, and Holly can tell me what happened on the way home." He stepped awkwardly off to the side.

Holly turned to Artemis. "Good job."

"Same to you, goddess of mediation," Artemis said, chuckling.

Holly smiled. Camera lights flashed around them. "God of science and technology," she muttered. "Foaly will love that one."

Artemis chuckled. "Maybe he won't hack into my computer anymore."

"Doubtful. If he did, wouldn't you still hack into his computer?"

"Probably."

Holly shook her head. "Boys."

"You should probably go now," Artemis said. "If you stay too long, people will say we're in love."

Holly shrugged. "Maybe we are. We should give them something to talk about."

Despite being on camera, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. They were both highlighted by white light from the cameras. Ending it carefully, she pulled apart. "Maybe we could see about making you a consultant?"

Artemis grinned. "I'd like that."

Holly nodded. "I thought you would. I've got to go." She motioned to Commander Kelp, who was staring in disbelief at them and shaking his head at how much money he'd just lost in an office bet. Artemis nodded.

Holly was a few feet away when Artemis suddenly called.

"Holly?"

She whirled around. He held out his hand, and there was a small envelope in it. When she reached to grab it, their fingers touched briefly and their eyes met. "Good-bye, Holly."

"Good-bye, Artemis."

Holly turned around and walked away, opening the envelope as she did. In it was a picture someone had gotten of her and Artemis at Camp Half-Blood. She smiled and put it in her pocket. The press followed her into the holographic bush after getting a few more shots of Artemis.

Artemis Fowl smiled and looked up at the moon, thinking about his last good-bye to Holly. "Not in another time," he whispered. "Now."

_The End of Another Beginning_

_***_

**End Notes: **I pulled a small line from _Silence of the Lambs_. If anyone wants to know, look at the conversation Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter had in Memphis. It really is a good movie, and I hope you don't mind the slight reference.

I want to thank you for reading my story. I appreciate the attention it's gotten, the reviews it received, and your help. I hope you decide to read some of my other stories.

Sequel? I probably will not do a sequel, but I have a slight idea in mind. If you remember, Cupid told Percy that Percy owes him a favor. If I come up with something, I hope it'll be good. If you have any ideas, let me know. Until that time (if it comes) I must say, Ta-ta.

Love and Skittles,

Holly Marie Fowl and Athena


End file.
